The Second Airbender
by kindled101
Summary: Someone is watching them from the trees. Someone is tracking their camp. Aang is determined to figure out who this mysterious person is, and what they want. He has one last surprise in store for him before he defeats Fire Lord Ozai - he's not the last Airbender after all. (Rated 12 plus) -Sorry about the paragraphing problem, space in between paragraphs don't work in FF-
1. Chapter 1: Shadow

–_**Author's Note–**_

_This FanFic takes place just before Season 3, Episode 16 'The Southern Raiders'. The gang are still at the Western Air Temple, training their hardest for the battle to come. Katara and Zuko went on their trip to find revenge for the death of Katara's mother, yet left and returned to the Air Temple. It continues from before the episode started, but after the last episode, however the order of some events are switched around. Such as Zuko and Katara's adventure. That has already happened, while they still haven't had to move from the Temple since Azula hasn't attacked it yet. Plus, Sozin's Comet doesn't arrive for another two weeks._

_I hope I explained that properly, and I'm sorry if it's complicated. Leave any questions in the comments, please, I want to help!_

_**Disclaimer: Avatar: The Last Airbender belongs to VIACOM, Nickelodeon and Paramount. All the characters in this story do not belong to me, with the exception of those not in the series. I also will not make a profit out of this story.**_ _It's purely for fun and practising my writing skills, as well as for others' enjoyment and entertainment. I do not mean to offend or upset anybody, and would really appreciate any useful feedback on my writing. _

_I will softly imply some ships in this story, such as Zutara and Sukka. If you do not ship these characters, please don't feel the need to leave any hate on those who do._

_One last thing - I apologise for all the mistakes, any plot holes, anything wrong with the grammar or spelling. I'm still improving my writing, and it's not going to be the most amazing thing you've ever read, because I'm not _that_ good yet!_

–_**Boom, that's all, enjoy.–**_

**Chapter 1: Shadow**

"C'mon, Twinkletoes! Chop chop!"

Aang flitted into the main living space; a large stretch of cobblestone, adorned with a sparkling clean fountain in the middle and tall stone pillars that provided shade - and great hiding spots for hide and seek - lining the edge. Toph was eagerly waiting for him beside the fountain, her glassy eyes bright and her arms folded stubbornly over her chest.

The Avatar joined Toph with haste, and they Earthbended a rocky platform to take them up to the high forest floor to scavenge for food. Sokka had earlier gone ahead of them to lay out animal traps, which internally disgusted Aang. He wished that Sokka wasn't so in love with eating meat. There were plenty of other things he could eat that probably tasted much better than animal flesh.

On a higher note, he and Toph were finding many vegetables and berries and herbs for dinner that night. Aang had devoted a fair amount of his afternoons to helping the blind Earthbender with this chore. Katara cooked and prepared their dinner, Zuko did… whatever he did, Suki and Sokka hunted (well, they said they did, yet Katara still had her suspicions), while Hakoda, Chit Sang, the Duke, Teo, and Haru did basically whatever they wanted.

"Ooh, found some berries! Aang, are they red or purple?" Toph exclaimed, holding up a cluster of pretty violet berries. The Airbender knew that Toph preferred the purple ones, although both were edible and delicious.

"Purple." he responded, grinning. Toph instantly started to swipe bunches of the amethyst coloured fruit off of the large bush.

Aang swept his gaze over the various different kinds of plants and trees, but spied no other berries apart from the ones before him, that Toph was stuffing into her bag.

All of a sudden, his eyes uncovered a dark shadow, a blurry shape darting through the canopy, hidden in the shade cast by the whispering leaves. The figure appeared strangely human-like, and leapt from branch to branch with the elegance of a lemur.

Toph inclined her head, sensing Aang's rapidly increasing heart rate. "What? What is it?"

"I think there's someone in the trees," Aang claimed uneasily. "A shadow…"

Casually, the Earthbender stomped her foot, and every tree within a few metres radius shook violently. Nearby, Aang's sensitive ears caught a yelp of surprise, only a few trees to the left of him and Toph.

"There! Someone fell!" Toph jeered. Immediately, the two of them dashed through the forest to find the mysterious fallen person.

However, they were too late. By the time the pair reached the right tree, whoever had been climbing along the branches was long gone.

"They fell, but when we got there, they were gone!"

Aang had just finished up explaining the events of earlier that day to Katara, who had been listening intently as she cooked dinner.

"Sounds very strange," she remarked. "We should be careful."

The Airbender pestered her even further. "But we have to find out who they are!"

"Who _who_ is?" Sokka frowned, approaching them from across the room. His chocolate brown hair, tied neatly in a ponytail, was fluttering in the wind.

The skies blanketed in fluffy white clouds above them, the wind tearing through their camp and threatening to throw down the walls, surrounded the Water Tribe soldier as he sauntered closer. His sapphire eyes were bright with curiosity.

"Aang saw someone in the trees when he and Toph were foraging." Katara explained briefly, serving generous amounts of warm soup into the small makeshift bowls they had.

She handed bowls to both her brother and the Airbender, before calling, "Dinner!"

The others joined them as fast as they could, eager for Katara's amazing cooking.

Zuko leaned against one of the pillars, dark and brooding, before accepting a bowl of soup and narrowing his one good eye. Aang fell silent as Teo and the Duke came sprinting over, and almost crashed into him. He grinned at the pair and dodged hastily.

Chatter filled the air, some of it worried and some of it cheerful.

"Zuko," Aang whispered, wandering up to the pillar that the former Prince leaned up against.

"Yeah?" he turned to Aang expectantly.

"I saw someone in the trees today. While foraging."

Zuko's brow creased. "What? Who?"

"I don't know! They were a shadow, and they disappeared as soon as we saw them!"

The Firebender hesitated before responding, "How long do you think they were following you for?"

"I don't know, they were in the trees so Toph couldn't feel them. And I didn't see them until we were pretty far in." Aang answered. He had a feeling that this was something Zuko would take action about, and for that, he was glad. For some reason, he really wanted to find out who this person was. Perhaps it was because Aang had experienced too many negative run-ins with strangers. Random person watching them from the trees? That was automatically a threat. And although nobody else seemed too bothered, Zuko wanted to take precautions. At least he didn't want to be attacked.

"Sounds like they could've been watching you for a while. Did you see where they went when they disappeared?"

"No," Aang lowered his head. "They just... vanished."

A thoughtful expression took over the previous suspicious one on Zuko's mangled face. "Tell me if you see them again," he told Aang, who nodded, before returning to the group. He earned an appreciative half-smile from Zuko as he left.

That night, the Avatar couldn't sleep.

He tossed and turned; he was sure the rustling of his clothes and the ruffling of Appa's silky fur would wake everyone else up, however it fortunately didn't.

Sighing, Aang got slowly and tiredly to his feet, strolled to the edge of the platform, and peered down over the edge. An abyss fell out beneath him, jagged spires of rock reaching up from the bottom like rows of pointy teeth, waiting to crush him. Above were the stars, so clear in the inky night sky, glowing with hope and a gentle happiness.

Aang watched the glittering stars for more than a few minutes. The refreshing air that filled his lungs was cold, clean and dry. It smelled faintly of dew.

Suddenly, some of the stars began to... flicker. It was the strangest thing. They looked like lightbulbs that were starting to go, that needed to be changed. Sparkling and fading and flickering, the stars stayed in the sky, but Aang's heart didn't. It dropped into his feet, pierced by a dagger of fear.

He realised that the flickering seemed to be a pattern. Like something was floating— _oh_, a shadow was flying around, in the sky, covering the stars!

Aang gasped, his mouth just as wide as his stormy eyes. Quickly, he snatched up his glider, the nice new blue one that Teo's dad had made for him, with the snack compartment in the top, and threw himself over the balcony and into the air.

The glider snapped open above him, and Aang wrapped his hands and feet around the handlebars, before spiralling up towards the stars. And towards the strange shadow that was hiding them.

With a whoosh of crisp night air, Aang reached the same level as the shadow. Whatever it was, he was determined to find out.

It's probably just a bird, Aang tried to convince himself.

But it wasn't a bird. He could already see that this shadow didn't have moving wings. In fact, the wings were just as still as Aang's glider. The figure clinging on was also still, but Aang could spy the rise and fall of their chest through the dark.

"Hello? Who are you?" he called. His voice clearly startled the figure, because them and their glider nearly fell right out of the sky.

"I'm Aang! I'm not gonna hurt you, I promise! I'm the Avatar!" he mentioned, soaring closer.

But once again, the figure escaped. With a flourish of their hand, and a gust of wind, they were completely gone, and Aang was sent spinning backwards into the wall of one of the upside-down Temple spires.

"Aang, where were you?" Katara hissed under her breath, hands on her hips. She was waiting for him on the balcony when he flew in.

"Uh..." he mumbled. "Out for a fly? I couldn't sleep."

She softened a little. "Me neither, but you could at least _pretend_ to be asleep."

"Sorry," Aang sidled up to her. "This normally helps. I'll go to bed now."

She nodded. "Alright. Just... tell me where you're going next time. I get really worried when you disappear." she paused before continuing, "Goodnight, Aang."

"Goodnight." he said softly, lying on Appa's comfortable tail. Katara lay down in her blanket, and Aang settled himself, trying to sleep.

But after the phantom he'd seen tonight... it was hard. Eventually he drifted off into a light, dreamless slumber.

"Zuko!" Aang called, running up to the teenager as soon as he was awake.

The Firebender turned his attention to the younger boy, scowling and yawning. "Aang?"

"Last night," Aang said, in a low tone. "I saw the shadow person again. They were flying! It looked like they had a glider, and then they blasted wind at me and I–"

"Whoa, whoa. Slow down," Zuko tried to calm Aang down, since he was pretty rushed. He raised his hands, then followed Aang into the stables to talk. "Start from the beginning."

"Okay, so…"

After Aang had explained the events of last night, the look on Zuko's face was stone-hard. He had obviously made this stranger a safety issue, making it a priority on the list of things to do - they had to discover the identity.

To Zuko, it sounded like there might be… no, that was impossible! All the Airbenders had been wiped out by the Fire Nation years ago! It just didn't add up…

"We have to find this stranger."

**A/N: yoooo**

**So, a fair amount happened in this chapter… I know it's not exactly hard to tell what's going to happen, since I haven't exactly induced a whole lot of mystery, and I know my writing kinda sucks, but I am young-ish. I have an excuse :) **

**Anyway, thanks for reading this chapter!**


	2. Chapter 2: Flame

**Chapter 2: Flame**

Mist concealed the landscape, hazy and dreary and white.

"Farewell! Thanks for helping me!" Chit Sang waved as he wandered off, up the hill and into the distance. He'd decided to separate from the group, and was travelling to who knows where. Although he wasn't exactly close to any of the other members, they were sad to see him go. His blankets would go to make the others more comfortable when they needed it, and because Chit Sang had practically carried his own weight and helped out a lot with foraging, they didn't really get an increase of food or supplies, which was unfortunate. Still, Toph and Aang worked as hard as they could to find food.

Over the next two days, they saw nothing more of the strange shadow. They trained, they rested. Train, rest, train, rest. Non-stop.

Soon Aang was tired of it all. For a few minutes that morning, before anyone else was awake, stared into the mist. It wove it's way slowly and carefully around him, drifting and billowing and winding, it's movements snakelike and cautious. The mist cloaked everything, draping a low contrast touch on the world, blurring the lines that separated the hills from the sky and seeping up through cracks in the flagstones.

Aang watched as something flew through the mist, a bird, he thought. The bird looped around, which was unusual, before turning back and heading straight for Aang. It began to circle overhead.

Birds didn't do loops. They couldn't.

"ZUKO WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP THE PERSON IS HERE ZUKOOOOOOO!"

The Firebender was up in seconds, blasting a ball of flame into the sky, aimed at the dark shape hovering above them. It found it's target, and as well as clearing the mist around it, the glider caught fire and sent the figure falling to the ground.

Aang grabbed his glider yet again and yelled at Zuko to hold on. He took off just as Zuko leapt into the air and grasped one of the footholds. The corners of his mouth turned down in quick fear as the cobblestone dropped away and they flew into the air, heading straight for where the figure fell, in the forest.

He landed with a loud thump.

Zuko rolled over on the ground, having dropped from the glider a little too early, and rubbed his stinging arms. They'd taken most of the damage and were now bleeding and dirty. Mentally he made a note to ask Katara to heal him later.

Crumpled in a burning heap was a sunny yellow fabric, attached to some sort of large twig, a bit like Aang's glider staff thingy. He edged forwards, and moments later, was joined by the Avatar, who touched down on the marsh a lot lighter than Zuko had. Aang hurriedly put out the fire with a stream of water collected from the muddy forest floor, and picked up the yellow glider. It was soggy and charred and ripped and... destroyed.

Someone was lying, curled up in a protective ball and clutching their hands to their chest, amongst the leaves that littered the lumpy, squishy ground.

"Oh, sorry!" Aang blurted out, Waterbending the water from their clothes and letting it sink back into the dirt.

The collapsed human unfurled and stared up at Aang with curious eyes.

Zuko noticed that she had long, wavy black hair that reached all the way down her back and faded to brown at the tips, eyes a frosty, snowy, cold white, and wore amber garments similar to those of a monk's. Yet they were scrappy and ruined, stained with mud and charred by flames and torn by branches and dappled slightly with blood.

Rapidly, the young girl flew to her feet, in a fashion just like Aang. Using the air to boost herself up and straight. Plasters dotted her tan, freckled skin, and a thin pink dash stretched from her cheek to the tip of her chin - a scar. Zuko faintly wondered where it came from.

She had to be an Airbender.

"Who… who are you?" Aang stammered, blinking nervously.

"My name is Rinzen… just Rin for short…" she grimaced a little.

Zuko reached for her hands, and she started back, drawing herself away from him. Then, she caught herself, and reeled back sheepishly. "Sorry, I'm not used to strangers."

He took her hands and opened them, palms facing the sun. They were burnt and blistered, and the skin had turned a horrible scarlet. "It's okay… I'm really sorry about your hands. I didn't mean to burn you. If you come with us, we can heal you." he told her in a soothing tone.

Aang slid in between them, and Zuko briskly let go of her slender, damaged fingers.

"C'mon, we'll lead the way!" he beckoned to her before setting off in the direction of the Western Air Temple, their current base.

Rin pursed her thin lips. "Wait. I'm not sure I should…"

Clearly, her hands were throbbing, because she broke off and winced, before grimacing and nodding, agreeing to follow Aang and Zuko without another word.

Aang was a little surprised at how quickly she decided to trust them, but then again, he was the Avatar. Yet Zuko was the one who burned her–

"So, you're an Airbender? I thought there weren't any left, apart from Aang." Zuko attempted to make conversation. He appeared to be itching with questions - literally itching, because he'd been bitten by a rhino fly or a mosquito or something, and a red bite mark had sprang up on his wrist.

Rinzen glanced up at him. She was just a little taller than Aang, and Zuko towered over the both of them. She replied, "Maybe…"

"Maybe? You have to know if you're an Airbender or not, it's pretty obvious." he snapped.

She rolled her eyes. "Fine, you got me. I'm an Airbender."

Aang gasped. "Me too!"

"Yes, I think I've established that."

He blinked, a little shaken by her suddenly huffed response.

Zuko exhaled deeply. "Whoa. Another Airbender."

"There's one more where I come from. We're all that's left of the Airbenders, though." Rin added, as if on second thoughts. Aang took a few deep breaths, willing himself to stay calm. He wasn't the last Air Nomad after all! He wanted to hug her - but that would be weird, since they'd only just met.

Once they had made it back to the base, Katara was standing there, waiting for them crossly. However, as soon as she saw Rinzen, her injured hands held out in front of her, she ran up to them with water to heal her.

Rin smiled kindly at Katara, sighing in relief as the cool water touched her skin. "Thank you."

"What in the name of Tui happened?" the Waterbender exploded, directing the question at Zuko, along with a dozen sharp shards of ice all pointed at his face.

He backed away a little, scared, which made Rin snicker to herself softly.

Aang cut in. "I woke him up because I saw Rin–"

"Who?"  
Rinzen introduced herself as an Airbender, shocking Katara even further. But before she could speak to Rin about this, Aang interrupted to continue his story.

"I saw Rin flying, and Zuko accidentally shot a ball of fire at her–"

"Accidentally?" Katara intercepted, glaring furiously at Zuko.

"Yes, and she fell, so we flew over–"

"On Appa?"

"No, will you stop interrupting me please?" Aang whined. "We flew over on my glider to her and she was hurt so we brought her back here. That's all."

The Waterbender did nothing but stare, completely baffled, at Rin.

They had to repeat the story later, to the others, at breakfast, when the sun was high in the sky and the mist cleared. Although Rinzen still had pink blisters on her hands, Katara was doing her best to heal her, and it was working.

Sokka was absolutely dumbstruck. "So you're both Airbenders? Cool!"

"Toph, what do you think?" Katara inquired, noticing that Toph hadn't said a word during the entire ordeal.

The Earthbender grinned. "I'm trying to think of a good nickname!"

Sokka perked up. "Ooh! How about... Windy! 'Cause she's an Airbender! Eh? Eh!?"

"Um, no." Ren sniggered.

"What about Scrappy?"

"Nope."

"Toffee? Because your hair kinda looks like..." Sokka trailed off.

Toph's smile was as wide as the crevice between the forest and the Western Air Temple. "Good idea! Toffee!"

"Kinda sounds like Toph... Toph-ee... Toffee..." Aang muttered to himself, narrowing his eyes and staring into space.

"If you're the last Airbenders left, the last Air Nomads... shouldn't you two... you know-" Sokka waves his arms around between Aang and Rin awkwardly, trying to indicate some sort of connection. "Y-y'know—"

"Know what?" Aang's brow creased.

Rin looked just as confused.

Katara, who understood what her brother meant but didn't like it, decided to fill in with her own ideas. "Teach each other. You can work together to Airbend!"

"Cool! An Airbending teacher!" Aang grinned joyfully.

Rin was smiling, but something in those ghostly moon-white eyes of Hera suggested that she was uneasy, nervous, accusing. "Uh... are you suggesting that I... stay here?"

"Oh! Well, uh, if you want to, of course you can!" Aang smiled. He hadn't even discussed it with the group yet, and he didn't catch the startled glances thrown in his direction by Katara and Zuko.

"I mean, I thought you lived nearby or something, and you could just come over every now and then..." Katara trailed off, shrugging. She wanted to welcome Rin, but so far, this wasn't going quite as she planned. Aang's impulsive kindness was beginning to get on her nerves, and she didn't understand why. If anything, it should please her that he was getting along so well with another Air Nomad; that he was helping someone and discovering a new bending teacher.

It didn't.

Rinzen's pearly gaze travelled from Zuko's half-hopeful-half-fierce scowl, to Aang's eager, excited smile. "If it's okay with you guys, I'd like to take Aang down to where I live and show him something."

Katara was instantly suspicious. She'd learnt that not even the nicest of people could be trusted. She thought back to Jet, who had been so cruel with his plans but so generous and right to her... oh no. The horrible, sick, painful feeling in her body was coming back. The throbbing headache and the queasy dizziness. Jet. Jet was dead because of her and she'd left him.

Of course, Aang didn't know she felt this way as he looked innocently up at her, seeking approval. The Waterbender bit her lip and nodded. "Alright then, but be really careful, Aang. And Rin, if you dare lay a finger on him—"

"It won't be just your hands that'll be burnt." Zuko snarled, biting in.

Rinzen raised her hands. "Okay! I promise, no harm will come to Aang."

"Can I come too? I can't see anything, so whatever you show him will still be a secret." Toph piped up. She smirked at Aang and punched him playfully and fondly on the shoulder. "Gotta protect you back, Twinkletoes."

Aang's expression was warm with pleasure.

Rin thought for a moment, then replied, "Well, if it makes you feel better—"

"Yes! Yes it does." Katara insisted, sighing.

Toph had lied.

She would see everything.

Later that afternoon, when Rin's hands were fully healed, she took Aang down the crevice, right to the bottom where the rocks twisted like talons, reaching for the sky as if they wanted to tear out the stars like tearing skin off of bones.

There, hidden away in the falling shadows, resided a tiny cave within the cliff. One wall looked like it had been part of some tying bigger, but the pile of rocks suggested that the other part of the room was lost in the rubble of a landslide. The cave was hollow and crammed and cosy, a room full of shadows that danced in the flickering firelight.

Rin moved into the rough orange glow from the crackling beast that roared and hissed and sparked on the wood, within a circle of smooth grey pebbles. The amber light lit up features that Rin would've preferred left in darkness, left unsaid and unseen. Features such as her scar, a constant reminder of her injuries, that pulled her perfect lips just a tiny bit out of balance, that made her skin uneven and her face different and marred for life. A memory of the pain she'd endured, and for what? Nothing. Nothing but to live here, in this musty old cave...?

Aang stared into her strange papery eyes. They were as white as the crunchy snow in the Southern Water Tribe. When he'd first seen her, he'd been too caught up on the fact that she was an Airbender to notice how beautiful she actually was.

"C'mon, in here. Toph," Rin lead them over to the left wall of the cave. She seemed to think that there was something there, despite the fact that there clearly wasn't.

"Uh, Rin? There's nothing—"

Simultaneously, Toph inhaled sharply. "There's something there!"

Proven wrong, Aang shut his mouth and watched in silence as Rinzen pressed against the ragged rocks.

One boulder moved aside to reveal a larger room. Full of people.

There must've been about seven. Seven Air Nomads, all clothed in orange or yellow, clutching small bundles of purple berries or fuzzy peaches or slices of spiky durian, and nibbling on them. Men and women, children and elderly.

"Guys, this is the Avatar. Aang, meet my... family."

"What is taking them so long?" Katara tapped her foot impatiently. Surely they'd left hours ago, the three of them; Aang, Toph, and the girl... Rinzen. She shook her head. They had to be up to something, if had been too long... no, Toph would stop... would she, though? Toph loved having fun, so if they were doing something dangerous but Toph found it fun...

"Take it easy, Katara." Sokka put a hand on her shoulder. He flashed her one last grin before heading into one of the temple buildings, no doubt to go and find Suki. She'd gone off to 'explore'.

Also, Haru, Teo and the Duke were all off foraging for the moment, which only left Zuko for company. Katara sighed, thinking that she might as well talk to him. After taking her to find the man who murdered her mother, Katara had forgiven him and learned to trust the teenager. It was a risky decision, but she might as well take it. It wasn't like there was anything that she could really do anymore.

"Zuko, what do you think of Rinzen?" she asked him.

Zuko had been practising his Firebending. He peered over his broad shoulder at her. "Rin? She's nice... she's good for Aang. I think she could really help him... and possibly save the... Air Nomads..."

It was uncertain ground that he was treading right there, with those words. Suggesting that Aang and Rinzen... no. Katara didn't want to think about it.

"I don't like her." the Waterbender huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

Zuko let the corners of his mouth twitch upwards, letting her know that he found this amusing. "Of course you don't. You're jealous."

"Jealous? Of who?" Katara shouted furiously. She straightened her back and held her head high, her arms dropping to her sides and her fists clenching uncontrollably.

"Of Rin."

"Why— what do I have to be jealous of?"

Zuko took a confident step forward. He wasn't smiling anymore. "Jealous that she's caught Aang's attention. That he's listening to her instead of you right now."

"Ugh! That's not true! You're just - Zuko - I hate—" she couldn't stand it. Power was already thrashing inside her, and the water that spewed daintily out of the fountain on her left was just begging to slap Zuko in the face. He really was asking for it.

Katara pounced, bouncing to action like a coiled spring. Water followed the flow of her pose and her fingertips, and stretched out from the fountain, rushing up to Zuko like it had been shot out of a cannon; still obeying every command her body and movements have it.

However, Zuko was ready for it. He agilely skidded to the side, slipped under her water whip, and started at her. His fists extended, and two balls of flame flew to her face. She blocked them with an arm of ice, before surrounding herself with water and creating an octopus form. Over the last week, she'd been mastering this bending technique.

Zuko scissor-kicked the air, leaping from side to side to dodge her tentacles, which kept slapping down onto the stone brick floor, hoping to slam him into it.

Fire blossomed in front of Katara, and she only just had time to block it before it reached her. Zuko struck again, this time trying to dance his way into her weak spot before attacking. Two strings of fire wrapped around her, but before they could tighten and squeeze or burn her, she drew up all of her water and sent it cascading at the Firebender in millions of tiny fragments of ice. They looked like shattered glass as they whizzed towards Zuko, embedding themselves in his pale skin and drawing blood. Katara felt the energy of the red liquid that dropped from the tiny slits. Perhaps she had gone too far.

Zuko had managed to block some of the ice spears with a sphere of fire, but it hadn't completely worked. Skin punctures studded his entire left side, and he had flinched as each one hit him. Fortunately, not one had found his face.

Katara stepped down, and melted the ice into water, which she encased her hands in. The rest of the water found it's way back to the fountain, which resumed its struggled gurgling.

Katara approached Zuko, who had also realised that the battle was over. And that he'd lost.

The former Fire Nation prince could hardly believe it. Of course, he couldn't feel the warmth of the sun, and he knew that he hadn't been trying his best, but... beaten? And so easily? Katara didn't even look tired... but she was. She breathed hard. Neither of them had quite been trying their hardest, but she still felt like the Firebender had been a worthy opponent. She hadn't fought Zuko in ages, and even though she wouldn't admit it, it brought pleasure to her heart.

"Jealous!" the boy teased.

Katara absolutely couldn't believe he had the nerve to do such a thing—

**A/N: Okay let's just say I'm better at writing battles and adventures than I am at… anything else. Maybe apart from writing about dragons. :/**


	3. Chapter 3: Escape

**Chapter 3: Escape**

Aang was introduced to every Air Nomad hiding out in the cave.

He found out that the third Airbender in existence was an old lady, who must've been over 100 years old. Her face was like a dried sea prune, full of wrinkles and sagging into her neck. Her Airbending was powerful, but slow and tiring for her. She couldn't help him.

The others were extremely happy to see him. They welcomed him with open arms.

He found out that they called each other family, even though they weren't all related to each other, just like Aang and the group. He considered them as his family, too.

"Your family can come up to the temples, if they want to. Katara's making rice tonight. We have plenty of bowls!" he offered to Rin.

She surveyed the room, her cloudy eyes searching. Aang had noted that there wasn't anyone else of her age, only a three year old, a four year old, and a seventeen year old. The rest were much older.

"Shouldn't you check with Katara first?"  
"I'm sure she won't mind," Aang assured the other Airbender. "She loves helping people."

Rinzen nodded slowly before agreeing that some members of her family could come. She chose a few people, who were thin and in need of a good meal. Three, in fact. The seventeen year old - Jae, a young woman - Kitsi, and an old man - Goba. All three looked starved to the bone, their ribs showing from under their robes.

"These are the foragers. They eat less than everyone else, although they wouldn't admit it. They can maybe… bring some rice back? For everyone?" Rin explained, half beggingly.

"Of course!" Aang chirped.

Katara was astonished when Aang asked her to cook for eight more people.

"Are you sure we have enough rice?" she questioned.

"You can give my portion to someone else, I'll eat a peach." he insisted.

The motherly Waterbender frowned down at him. "Aang, you should eat more! You need your strength if you're going to–"

"Fight the Fire Lord, I know… Katara, about that–"

Zuko appeared just then, interrupting. He held two bags of rice, one in each hand. They looked large and heavy. "I have more rice, Katara."

She couldn't help but smile. "Thanks, we'll need that,"

"We're almost out of money, though." Zuko pointed out.

He tore open one bag of rice and poured it into the pot that Katara had placed above the dormant fire, which Zuko swiftly lit. The flames caught quickly, infecting the sticks with rough black ash and sending trails of dark smoke billowing into the sky.

Katara bent a string of water from the trickling fountain over into the pot, and it quickly began to boil and bubble as the fire licked at the metal and cooked the rice. Aang stared solemnly at the snapping, fighting, clawing riot of a fire.

A few minutes later, the trio were joined by four others - Rinzen, Jae, Kitsi and Goba.

Katara cooked the rest of the rice, and Toph rounded up the others. They only just had enough bowls to go around, and each one was heaped with rice. The rest of the rice was poured into a smaller, lighter container, for the Air Nomads to carry back down the cliff.

They sat in a circle around the flickering fire.

"So Rin, what Airbending forms do you know?" Katara said casually, lifting a spoon to her mouth and taking small bite.

Rinzen thought for a moment before answering, "Lots. I think Aang probably knows almost all of them."

"Which ones do you think I don't know?" Aang asked excitedly.

She stood up, placing her empty bowl on the ground. Rin raised her arms, bent her knees, leaned forwards, and pushed her arms forwards. Then, she shifted her weight to her back leg, and waved her hands backwards. Her stance kept shifting from forwards to backwards, and slowly, the wind began to change with it. Gusts of air blew in the direction of her slightly scalded hands.

When the wind was certainly with her, Rin pulled it right backwards, before taking a step forward and pushing the wind with all her might out into the sky. It was such a strong blast that it knocked off one of the railings on the balcony. After that, Rin sat back down, drawing her knees up to her chest, and the wind dispersed.

Neither Aang or Katara had seen that form before, which was apparently because it was a Western technique, and the other Temples wouldn't have learned the form.

The Flying Bison had created this movement with their tails, and had typically used it to boost themselves when flying and increase their speed. The Air Nomads instead used it to push others away, or clear large areas of space.

"I'm still practising," Rin told Aang. "Maybe I can teach you and we can practise together!"

"Sure!" Aang grinned, glowing with happiness.

A moment of awkward silence passed, where everyone just stared at each other, swaying and breathing and hesitating, their eyes swerving and averting.

Finally, Katara lifted herself to her feet, holding an empty bowl in one hand, saying, "I'll let you share some moves... I should go..."

"Yeah…" Aang mumbled, watching her wander off to join Sokka and Suki over by the gurgling, sparkling fountain.

After a long evening of sharing techniques, promising to practise, and eating rice, Rin and the Air Nomads were exhausted and headed back down the mountain.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Rin smiled. Her eyes twinkled like two shining stars under the light of the moon. It was dark yet clear, and Aang could even see the mountains behind the forest and the sea beyond that, the waves crashing against the shore and the rocks.

With the rushing sound of the wind battering against their faces, whipped through their hair and stung their eyes, the group watched in a peaceful, respectful silence as the Air Nomads set off on their descent down the mountain, back home.

"Wait!" Aang shouted, hurrying forwards. Rin met his gaze, staring up at him from a few rocks down. Already, the shadows had fallen on her, and Aang could hardly make out her full shape.

"Rin, you don't have to go..." he called, smiling almost sadly, but not quite. "You can sleep here! In the temple, with us!"

"Thank you for the offer, Aang, but there are people I have to take care of." she replied, softly.

Katara put a stiff hand on Aang's shoulder. "Come on Aang, let her go. She'll be back."

He nodded, and slowly turned away from the ravine, agreeing to follow Katara over to the fountain, where a pile of dirty bowls awaited their washing, bending hands.

The Water Tribe girl forced a grin at the Avatar and picked up a plate half-heartedly.

They washed the bowls for a few, soundless minutes, while the others cleared up the makeshift seats that they'd prepared and replaced them with blankets for the night, arranged in a perfect circle.

Soon, Katara boldly decided to break that silence. "So, what do you think of Rin?" she spat the girl's name as if it were a bad word.

Aang hesitated, checking her tone, before responding, "She's nice. I think she could teach me a lot of new moves."

"Anything else?"

The Airbender blinked. "What?"

"I mean, is there anything else you think about her? Do you like her?" Katara snapped, dropping the water that she had been bending to place her hands on her hips. She tried to appear friendly but truly she was mad.

"Well, yes—" Aang instantly regretted his answer, as somehow, Katara became even more furious. "I mean no!"

"I don't trust her, Aang. And you shouldn't either. There's something strange about her."

Aang opened his mouth as if he were going to speak, then closed it on second thoughts, bluntly and dismally.

Late that night, the gang all sat around the fire, wrapped up all toasty and cosy inside of their fluffy blankets, telling stories and discussing topics.

Katara slept beside Sokka and Toph. Aang was a few steps behind her, resting against Appa, his eyes following the movement of her hands as she animatedly told a story of young Sokka and his first try of a boomerang. Supposedly, he threw it a few centimetres away, and it swung right back round, hit him in the face, and buried itself in the snow.

Toph got up, laughing so hard Aang wondered if she might tear up. She approached him, after Katara had moved on from the boomerang story and onto the penguin story.

"Hey Twinkletoes," she smirked. "Pretty busy day, huh?"

"Yeah, it has been." the Avatar faced her, feeling fairly positive, and ready to go to sleep and dream of good things.

"Y'know, even though I want you to have fun and make friends, you need to focus on your mission. Ozai isn't gonna just defeat himself, is he?" she grinned playfully. "Is he?"

Aang shook his head. Toph's quick reminder has brought down his spirits. His feet were touching the ground again, and his head had cleared. He still had to fight and - as everyone seemed to think - kill the Fire Lord. And he knew he would never be able to do that.

Toph didn't notice his sudden change of mood. She left him one last cheeky smile before dropping onto her blankets and contributing to the conversation the others were having.

The Avatar had only just woken up.

It was early. He always arose early, if only a few minutes before the others.

Yet this time was different. Something had stirred him. Something had woken him up.

It also had just tossed a bomb into their sleeping quarters.

"Watch out!" Aang cried, throwing himself forwards, grasping his staff, and Airbending the bomb away. He slammed shut the protection doors, tall blinds that would give them at least a little cover while they escaped.

The others heard the explosion and were swiftly on their feet. Toph and Haru hastily Earthbended a large tunnel in the rocky cliff side at the end of the open room, and were urging everyone to go through.

Aang sprinted over to his flying bison and grabbed the reins. He tugged at Appa, pulling him towards the tunnel.

He fought and refused. Apps hated tunnels, which was what Aang told Katara.

Zuko had ran off with some sort of excuse involving family and Azula. Of course it was Azula. Who else?

The blinds that separated them from the Fire Nation troops and safety were breaking down, tattered and ripped and seared. The bombs broke away at the rock, and the entire temple began to crumble and tremble; rocks cascading from the ceiling and walls, cracks bolting through the stone pillars like lightning across the sky.

Appa wouldn't go into the tunnels. They had to split up.

"Take the tunnel and get to the stolen airship." Sokka instructed, his tawny brown hair messy and in his face.

Hakoda, Haru, Teo and the Duke entered the tunnel. Suki stayed a little in front, close to Sokka.

"No!" Katara segued, distressed. Sokka turned to face his sister as she strode up to their dad. "The Fire Nation can't separate our family again."

"It'll be okay," Hakoda promised, placing a caring, weathered hand on her shoulder. "It's not forever."

Solemnly, the Waterbender lowered her eyelids, hugged him briefly, darted off, and mounted Appa.

Sokka took Suki by the wrist and helped her up onto the flying sky bison, after also hugged the Water Tribe Chief. Hakoda's determined, steely glare haunted Katara's thoughts as he raced down the tunnel and was swallowed by the darkness.

"I can clear that away and we can fly out." Toph said, removing her hand from the stone bricks. She boosted herself up onto Appa's wide saddle with a column of rock that jutted suddenly into the air.

Suki took a worried glance at the wall. "There's an awful lot of fire in that general direction." she pointed out unhelpfully.

"We'll get through. Let's go." Aang urges them, seating himself on Appa's fuzzy head with the reins in his hands. "Appa, yip-yip!"

They broke right through the stone, and with the building crashing and collapsing all around them, escaped into the sky. Appa's head was protected from the bombs by a large shield made out of the wall that they busted through.

Katara pursed her lips from the saddle as Aang pulled his bison into a steep ascent. Sometimes she forgot how young he actually was, and how much he'd grown from when she had first found him unconscious in the ice, sweet and innocent and unknowing. He was so different now; so grown up. She loved him... but like a brother. And she knew that that wasn't what he wanted. No matter how hard she tried to push herself into love, into liking him back that way, it just wouldn't work out.

Katara threw a backwards glimpse at Zuko, who stood bravely on a Fire Nation airship, bolting for his evil, crazy sister.

He held off her fire, blocking it or brushing it to the side as he advanced on her. Azula swung a flaming blue fist at his face, but Zuko had a flaming orange one headed the same way at her.

They collided.

Katara let out a loud gasp as both Firebending siblings were thrown off of the airship they battled on, and tumbled over the side.

Aang also saw the battle, and the fall. He steered Appa around, manoeuvring the large bison towards Zuko.

As they passed beneath him, Katara extended her tan arm, and grabbed his calloused hand, and tugged him down onto the saddle.

Zuko clung on, settling himself as they fled Azula's airships. The whole group - excepting Aang, Toph and Appa - foxes their gaze on Azula as she soared for the deathly rocks in the canyon below.

Azula was on her back, spinning around.

Scowling as usual, Zuko murmured, "She's not gonna make it."

All of a sudden, Azula straightened and blasted a ball of diamond flame from her feet. This sent her rocketing into the cliff side, and instantaneously she flipped, smashing her right side into the rocks and sliding down the face of the cliff. Eventually, she slid to a stop, her long, untied, ashy hair fluttering in the wind.

"Of course she did." growled Zuko, although he didn't exactly seem too disappointed. He turned away without another word.

Azula watched quietly as they flew into the clouds.

"We have to go back for them!"

"No, we can't, not right now! It's okay, we can find Rin when Azula and her troops leave." Sokka tried to convince Aang to stop worrying about Rinzen, and reassure him that they would go and find her later.

Katara chimed in. "Aang, I agree with Sokka. It's safer to wait until Azula has definitely left. Then we can go back for them."

"Yeah. They're safer if we don't go and see them! We could lead Azula right to their cave!" Sokka explained.

Aang sagged. He saw their point and despairingly agreed.

"It's okay, I'm sure nothing will happen to them while we're gone. They would've heard the explosions and stayed hidden." Katara assured him.

Boy was she wrong there.

**A/N: Whew, that took me a while. I got a bit of writer's block on that one, but at least now I have a tiny bit more of a spine to my 'plan'. Also known as my one sentence of action. As in it's literally one sentence to describe the entire FanFic. One medium-length sentence. **

**:I **


	4. Chapter 4: Abyss

**Chapter 4: Abyss**

They flew over the mountains until the sun was beginning to sink.

After a group decision, Aang lead Appa down to a small flat of grass on the top of a hill near the sea. There, they were to set up camp for the night.

However, Aang had other plans.

When everybody was busy, setting up tents or collecting firewood, Aang held onto his glider and ran to the edge of the hill.

He launched himself into the air with a gust of wind, took flight on his glider, and disappeared into the night, once again.

Katara felt the cool wind on her cheeks, crisp and cold and refreshing.

Beside her, Zuko set fire to the pile of logs and sticks they'd collected with a bright orange spark from his fingertips. He threw a sideways peek at her, almost as if he were looking for Katara's approval. Which was stupid, of course. Zuko didn't care what she thought.

"Hey, anybody seen Aang?" Sokka inquired, strolling up to the fire. "Or Suki?"

"I'm here," Suki commented, sitting behind the flames. Her face was partly hidden in the thin black smoke, which was why Sokka hadn't seen her straight away. He grinned, like she was the only one he cared about, and had dismissed the thought of Aang.

"Aang?"

Katara was instantly stressed. He wouldn't run away again… would he? Last time he had disappeared–

"Don't worry, he's probably feeding Appa or in his tent or something. I'm sure Aang's fine," Zuko said. "Besides, he can look after himself now, he's strong."

"No. Last time he went missing, it was because he ran away. He was scared, and he nearly died. There was a storm, and he went to the Fire Nation, and–" Katara broke off, her forehead creased with worry. Zuko grimaced, breathing softly, probably not caring about Aang at all.

Toph appeared. She frowned. "What's going on, Katara?"

"Aang is gone,"

"What?"

The Waterbender inhaled sharply. She broke into a run, at full speed, in Appa's general direction. Zuko flew after her, his black hair ruffled by the wind that struck him and tried to throw him off course. Sokka gasped, Suki leapt to her feet, and Toph edged around the fire.

"And I know where." Katara finished, taking flight.

While the remaining members of the Avatar gang debated Aang, Katara and Zuko's surprising leave, Aang glided down through the ravine and to the very cave that the last Air Nomads had survived in for however many years.

He touched the ground lightly and quickly, flitting into the dip in the rocks.

A pile of ashy firewood remained in the middle, charcoal residue and one or two glowing amber sparks. Aang made his way to the left wall, and shoved the boulder aside with a hasty Earthbending move. He heard a startled gasp as he did so, and a choked sob, like someone was trying to stay quiet but secretly giving up.

"It's okay, it's just me… hello?" Aang called. His voice echoed around the secret room… the empty secret room.

Every corner was cloaked in shadows, every rock that hung over another providing a perfect hiding spot. The Avatar let out a sigh of relief. Everyone would be hiding here, completely safe and unharmed…

"Oh Aang!" sniffed a familiar voice.

Rinzen threw herself out of the corner, dirty and dusty and… bloody. She hugged Aang, then drew back sheepishly and wiped her pallen face. "They… they took them all. Even little Hua."

Katara steered Appa into a nosedive down into the abyss.

The Western Air Temple was crumbling and ruined. They would not be able to return there. Zuko didn't say a word during the entire ordeal, perhaps he was frightened…? Katara didn't know; she didn't understand and she didn't care. Zuko's business was his own, and even though she had forgiven him, she still held a few infuriating things against him. But, in fairness, he'd been nothing but good the whole time he'd been with their group. Admittedly, she trusted him.

"I wish we could've taken Toph with us." grumbled Katara. She felt stupid and reckless and ignorant now. It was a pretty impulsive move, grabbing Appa and flying away to who knows where.

They reached a rocky ledge, and a tired sky bison floated down to land on it, yet Katara yanked on his reins and pulled him away.

"To the bottom." she ordered Appa.

Obeying her, the bison carried them down to the very lowest rock, yawned, and lay down. Zuko slipped down his side, placed his feet firmly on the rock, and reached up to help Katara down. She reluctantly accepted his help and immediately jumped from the rock to the next, searching for a secret cave or house, hidden in the shade, with Zuko at her heels.

Before they'd got far - Katara estimated that they'd only crossed a few rocks - something emerged from among the craggy, pointy rocks and whisked into the sky.

Zuko, holding a flame in his hand for light, shone it up at the dark silhouette in the equally dark night sky.

Katara spotted a wavering orange robe, and waved.

It was Aang.

Holding a shivering girl in his arms, Aang dropped down to Katara and Zuko.

He was extremely grateful that his friends had shown up, because he had no idea how he was going to get back. Rin had been holding his staff for him, while he carried her and Airbended his way out of that cave. There was no way he could've Airbended all the way back to their temporary camp.

Katara was astonished. She burst forwards as Aang landed, and flew at him. The Avatar thought that she was worried about Rin, and that she would heal her straight away and help her to her feet, but instead, Katara wrapped her arms around Aang's neck and held him close. She hugged him, and in turn, Rin, as she was still clutched in his hands, getting heavier by the second.

Aang was a little irritated that he couldn't hug Katara back, but he was still pleased by his welcome. That was when he realised that he should be putting Rin above himself, and laid her gently down on the smoothest rock, cautious to not injure her further.

"Can you heal her?"

Rinzen was shaking violently, and her clothes were stained with blood. There were various scrapes on her hands, arms, knees and bare feet, however they fortunately weren't deep or infected.

Hurriedly, Katara uncorked the water skin slung over her shoulder, and bent the water out into the open. She let it wash over Rin's painful inflicts, soothing them, cooling them, brushing them. Sealing them.

She wriggled and squirmed, and despite his want, Aang didn't interfere. He knew that what Katara was doing would help her, and would ease the pain, even if it did sting and burn while she did so.

With a relaxed exhale, Rin fell still, relieved that it was over. She sounded satisfied, and her milky white eyes flickered open. The stars glimmered above her, and the tall cliff looming down like it was trying to shield her from the cold winds of the night.

Aang yawned. He helped Rin to her feet, feeling her icy skin against his. It sent a jolt of electricity through his hand and up his arm and down his spine, unusually. Aang dismissed it as he headed after Katara, Zuko and Rin.

Along the way, they conversed on the devastating defeat of Rin's family.

"Everyone ran outside to see where the noise was coming from. I stayed inside, I was so stupid! Azula spotted them and directed her - what are they called? War balloons? - down to us, and chained everyone up and dragged them away. I didn't even hear any fighting or yelling or anything..." the female Airbender retold, obviously upset and disappointed in herself and missing her family.

"It's okay, we'll get them back." Aang promised sternly.

"WHERE HAVE YOU BE— oh hi Aang, hi Toffee— what happened to you?" Sokka exclaimed, scanning them, his indigo eyes flashing up and down.

Rin said nothing, only looked innocently to Aang, quietly asking him to explain. Repeating the story once again would settle the true reality, and Aang could guess that Rin wouldn't be able to sleep at night once she accepted the truth. Her family was gone, and even though of course they would try because of course Aang wanted to help her... they may not all make it back.

The crew gathered for one last review of Rin's traumatic, tragic experience. Suki then set up a tent for Rin, and Zuko heated up some leftovers from dinner. Aang collected blankets, while Toph collected extra wood for the fire, as it would need to stay burning for a little longer than they had expected.

Rin hugged her knees to her chest and sobbed by the flames.

"Rin..." Katara murmured. Something about the Airbender was just... there was something that Katara didn't like about Rinzen. She still had yet to figure out what it was, but when she did... originally, Katara's plan was to tell Aang and get her kicked out. But now, now that this had happened, it seemed like too mean of a deed. How could Katara get the group to get rid of Rin, to just drop her in the Western Air Temple and fly off, after what had recently occurred? It was far too cruel for Katara's liking.

For now, she would try to be nice.

"Rin?" she repeated, louder this time. The sobs ceased. "Are you okay? Do you want me to heal you again?"

"I'm really sorry," Rin whispered, burying her head in her hands.

Katara paused, her heart missing a beat. "Sorry for... what?"

"I'm wasting your time. You should be training the Avatar, learning about the world, defeating the Fire Lord... and I'm just bombarding you with my problems. I'm so sorry," the younger girl whimpered, quivering.

That wasn't what Katara had expected her to say, so she didn't answer straight away. Her expression was a mix of shock and confusion as she said, after a pause, "It's... fine."

Rin rubbed her eyes and cheeks. She sighed, her eyes suddenly cold and her skin stiff. "I'm such an idiot."

"No..." Katara began to disagree, for she felt sorry for Rin, yet cut off as she realised that she was supposed to dislike the girl, not help her.

Rinzen stood up and retreated to her tent for the night, leaving Katara in a stunned silence.

The next day was the day they set off.

"It's gonna be a long journey!" Sokka grinned.

As the sun began to set, the sky bison drifted down to solid ground. Aang had gotten used to flying, and was glad not to be so wobbly when he set foot on the grass. Appa munched on some plants nearby while Katara prepared a dinner out of berries they'd gathered, and Zuko and Rin did their best to train Aang while they waited. Suki and Sokka were also training nearby, fighting with swords and fists. Toph wasn't doing much, she had her feet planted firmly on the ground and was trying to provoke Sokka.

"Alright Aang, I'm going to teach you how to redirect lightning." Zuko said, placing his feet just wider than shoulder-length apart. He folded two of his fingers so that he was making some sort of finger gun in both of his hands.

Aang perceived him closely, and Rin studied from behind as Zuko swept his right hand forwards, down through his chi, up his arm and carried the flow out of his other arm, in a way similar to the moves of the Waterbenders.

Aang noticed this. "Hey, that looks like a Waterbending move!"

"That's because my Uncle learned it from studying Waterbenders. He taught me." Zuko replied, repeating the move again.

Aang followed his example, and after a few tries, managed to get it right.

Rin also copied the move, mirroring it exactly, but she wouldn't be able to actually use the defence. She couldn't bend lightning.

"Can I try it with real lightning now?" Aang requested.

Zuko froze and glared strongly. "No."

"Can you make lightning anyway?" Rin begged, trying to make her eyes seem bigger and cuter as she pleaded.

"Still no." Zuko grouched.

The sun was setting, casting a mix of different colours through the sky. There was red, orange, yellow, blue, dark blue... and the fluffy candy floss clouds were tinged as pink as roses. They hung low in the sky, surrounding the diving sun but not hiding it.

The beautiful golden light lit up the honey-coloured tips of Rin's long, wavy hair, made Zuko's topaz eyes glitter like real jewels, and the blue Airbending arrow tattoo on Aang's forehead bathe in the light and almost glow.

This caused a question to arise. "How come you don't have an arrow?" the Avatar asked Rin.

"I was just never given one, I guess." she answered, shrugging.

Just as the sun began to disappear beyond the horizon, out of eye's view, Katara served dinner and they settled around a fire. The warm smoke was pushed into Sokka's face by the icy breeze, and he choked on it, creating a scene of laughter for the group once Aang wafted it away.

Momo stole a few of Rin's berries, and she fed him a few. The lemur really seemed to like her.

**A/N: Once again, I would love to hear some ideas for improvement. Any tips, or suggestions… it could really help me improve my writing. I'm still learning.**


	5. Chapter 5: Hope

**Chapter 5: Hope**

The night brought a dangerous storm with it. A day's calm was a night's threat. Thunder roared with the sound of a thousand butterfly lions, and the wind howled like a pack of wolves. The sky was a sheet of jet black card, the stars silver glitter and the lightning tears in the card. It split the sky in two with its mighty zigzagging light.

Aang woke up from a vivid nightmare, sweat pouring down his face and back, making his Monk robes cling to his damp skin.

He had a single week left before Sozin's comet, but Aang knew he wasn't ready.

He crept across the campsite, Waterbending a little bubble of clear around himself to stop him from getting soaked. The wind threw itself against his bubble defiantly, battering and smacking into the surface, trying to destroy it.

Aang let himself into Katara's tent after calling her name, and hearing a soft reply.

"What's the matter?" the beautiful youth inquired, standing up and drifting across the small area inside the tent to the Avatar.

"I'm not ready to fight Sozin."

"Of course you are," Katara retorted. "Aang, I've seen you fight off an entire army of Dai Ali agents. If anyone is ready to face Ozai, it's you."

"Katara, you _know_ I'm not ready." Aang whined. The Waterbender offered him a pillow to sit down on, and so he sat; and she was to sit as well, beside him, closer than he would've expected.

Katara tried to disagree, but it was obvious by the way she stuttered, at a loss for words, that she agreed with Aang. "Nobody's ever ready to fight the Fire Lord. I know I'm not,"

"Can't we wait until... after Sozin's comet arrives? I still haven't mastered all four elements!" Aang protested, his eyebrows sliding up into a position of weakness as his hands, decorated with the familiar blue Airbending arrow on the backs of his hands, rested tightly on his lap.

Katara poured herself a glass of water, and offered one to Aang. He refused solemnly.

"Nobody's going to force you to fight him, Aang. I will always follow you, and believe you. If you think this is best, I will agree. I don't want you to get hurt," she reassured him.

The Avatar felt a lot better. A weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. No longer did he have to fight Ozai before the comet arrived. He could wait until he truly was ready.

"Thanks Katara." he smiled kindly.

She returned the expression. "I'll tell the others tomorrow. Now, go get some sleep."

"Try the wind shifting move," Rin urged.

It was the next afternoon, and the group were all training. Everyone was working on their own thing, except for those who taught others, such as Suki, who was showing Sokka some moves. Or Rin, who of course, was trying to teach Aang how to manipulate the wind so that it moved to your will, without having to use hardly any energy.

"Instead of creating wind and energy, you use the energy around you and convert it into your own particular needs. It uses a lot less energy, and you might find that you won't feel tired at all after this." she described, before demonstrating the move once again, performing it a little slower than the first time so that Aang could study the stances.

He imitated her form, and let his whole body shift with the wind around him. Soon, as he waved, the wind would follow. It trailed the motion of his body like waves trail the moon.

"That's it... there you go! Try directing it. Release the flow." Rin pushed, encouragingly.

Aang shoved his body forward, taking a step, and let the wind out of his motion in a gust of unbelievably strong wind. It happened to be aimed at Sokka's tent, which peeled away from the ground and was tossed into the air.

"MY STUFF!" squealed Sokka, dashing after his tent.

"Sorry!" Aang called, awkwardly grinning.

Rin laughed. "Whoa, you made that look so easy! Teach me, teach me!"

Aang laughed again. "It's because you're an amazing teacher. Got any other moves I can learn?"

Rinzen smiled knowingly. "Many."

It was Zuko's turn to train Aang now. He showed him the lightning redirection form again, with Rin making funny mimics behind his back and causing Aang to burst out laughing in the middle of practise.

"Focus!" Zuko yelled. "You have six days! Six days to learn this and beat Lord Ozai! Six—" his ugly pink scar, the mutation of flesh that served as a constant reminder of what had ruined Zuko for the past three years of his life, was scrunched you with agitation. His scruffy black hair fell over his good eye, and covered the bronze glow that it gave off in the sunlight.

"About Sozin's comet. I was gonna wait to fight the Fire Lord until after it came." Aang muttered sheepishly.

Katara threw a glance over in their direction.

"After?!" Zuko scoffed, horrified.

"I'm not ready." Aang stated, suddenly finding the emerald grass under his feet extremely interesting to study. "I need more time to master Firebending." he met Zuko's harsh, fiery glare.

"And frankly, your Earthbending could use some work, too." Toph chipped into the conversation from a few metres away, where she'd been bending a metal rod into a backscratcher.

"So you all knew Aang was going to wait?" the Firebending teenager snarled.

Sokka sidled a little closer. He'd made it back, clutching his tent in hand, and his blankets and stuff in the other. "Honestly," he said. "If Aang tried to fight the Fire Lord, he's going to lose. No offense," he added, as if on second thoughts. Suki has also wandered over, and was staring at Aang worriedly.

"The point of fighting the Fire Lord before the comet was to stop the Fire Nation from winning the war." Katara told Zuko. "But they pretty much won the war back in Ba Sing Se. Things can't get any worse." she lowered her head, and Aang did too. Rin, standing a little apart from the argument, had listened in silence until now.

"Plus, we still have to save my family." she spoke under her breath. Nobody appeared to hear her.

"You're wrong." Zuko hissed at Katara, turning away from them coldly. "It's about to get worse than you can imagine."

The group moved closer, listening in as Zuko began to tell his memory to them, when he had returned to the Fire Nation, and what had happened at the war meeting he had attended.

Narrowing his eyes, Zuko began.

"The day before the eclipse, my father asked me to attend an important war meeting. It was what I dreamed about for so many years."

Closing his eyes, Zuko took a deep breath, like he was imagining himself back at the palace; striding down those intimidating red, gold and black walls, with pillars and tapestries and paintings and guards at every corner. Imagining the feel of the heavy armour upon his back, weighing down on his aching shoulders and creaking uneasily as he sauntered.

"My father had finally accepted me back.

"'Welcome, Prince Zuko,' he said. 'We waited for you.' I sat down at his left side. Azula was on his right.

"'General Shinu, your report?' Ozai asked.

"The general he addressed explained that Earthbenders were rebelling in Ba Sing Se. He wanted to send more of the army to Ba Sing Se to shut them down.

"'Prince Zuko, you've been among Earth Kingdom commoners,' my father said to me. 'Do you think adding troops will stop these rebellions?'

"I gave my reply. I said that the people of the Earth Kingdom were strong as long as they had hope."

Toph seemed to straighten up at this, but Zuko only slouched even more. His eyes were like the embers of a dying fire, the violence fading and the seriousness setting in.

"My father wanted to destroy that hope." Zuko told the group, ominously.

Toph's brave posture was lost, her expression falling. Aang shot her what was supposed to be a supportive smile, but was more of a pained grimace. She nodded at Zuko, wanting him to continue.

"I didn't mean for that to happen. Azula thought we should just burn all their land to the ground... and he agreed. He said... he said that when Sozin's comet arrived, when we were more powerful than ever, we would burn the Earth Kingdom down."

Multiple gasps or sharp inhalations resounded from the teenagers. Katara covered her gaping mouth in shock, her baggy blue sleeve falling down to her elbow.

"I wanted to speak out against this horrifying plan," Zuko continued. "But I'm afraid to say I didn't. My whole life I struggled to gain my father's love and acceptance. But once I had it, I realised I had lost myself getting there. I'd forgotten who I was." he finished, sadly.

Sokka wrapped his arm protectively around Suki's sleek shoulders, and Katara shook her head vigorously. "I can't believe this."

"I always knew the Fire Lord was a bad guy," Sokka mentioned. "But his plan is just pure evil." Suki bowed her head, her pretty, long hair falling over her eyes.

Aang paces back and forth. Rin took a step, and stopped him. She placed her icy hand on his shoulder, calmly.

"What am I going to do?" the Avatar uttered, still and gloomy.

Zuko stalked towards him, determinedly. He moved like a shadow, swift and fast and smooth, practically gliding above the ground. The former Fire Prince - so she had been told - was stealthy and well-trained. He had also been well-punished. Rin had seen his scar as something that defined him before, but now she'd gotten so used to seeing his face that she hardly thought about it or looked at it. Yet this time, she couldn't take her eyes off of the ripple of uneven skin. Zuko without his scar... she couldn't even begin to picture that.

"I know you're scared and I know you're not ready to save the world." Zuko told Aang darkly. "But if you don't defeat the Fire Lord before the comet, there won't be a world to save anymore."

Suddenly the details on his face were clearer to Aang, and not just because he was standing only a few centimetres away from him. It was because he'd finally found reality, after trying to dream his way out of his problem. The lines under Zuko's eyes, that indicated his exhaustion. Those lines weren't underneath Katara's, or Toph's, or... anyone else's. Zuko had been training harder than anyone, despite being one of the most powerful fighters there already.

"Why didn't you tell me about your plans sooner?!" Aang snapped, spinning on his heel and storming off.

"I didn't think I had to!" Zuko called after him, opening his arms, palms to the sky, in an honest way. "I assumed you'd fight him before the comet. No one told me you decided to wait!"

Feeling sick to the stomach, Aang stopped and clutched his face. "This is bad. This is really, really bad." The world was spinning, nothing was clear anymore. Blurry lines and fuzzy edges were all Aang could see through his fingers, a swirling mix of grassy green, torched tan, and beautiful blue. He knelt down, too dizzy, queasy and weak to stand, his knees knocking together and his hands shaking with fear.

"Aang," a familiar voice breathed behind him. The air cleared a little, the fuzziness and the constant drone in his ears faded away for a moment, as Katara's soothing ocean voice hummed behind him. "You don't have to do this alone."

Rin crouched down beside him. "We're all right here."

"Yeah, if we all fight the Fire Lord together, we got a shot in taking him down!" Toph exclaimed, trying to motivate the seven of them.

"All right! Team Avatar is back!" Sokka shouted cheerfully. "Air!"

Aang and Rin nodded sternly at each other, mutual respect and power.

"Water!"

Katara's gentle gaze fell hard, as solid and cold and steely as icebergs.

"Earth!"

Toph stood brave and bold, a true warrior through and through, the determination and force displayed on her face like a banner.

"Fire!"

Zuko loomed, dangerous, foreboding, mysterious, scowling and scary.

"Fan and sword!" hastily, the Water Tribe fighter swiped a few leaves from a nearby bush and managed to make them into some sort of sword, which he held high above his head, and a fan, which he shoved into Suki's open hands.

"Fighting the Fire Lord is gonna be the hardest thing we've done together, but I wouldn't want to do it any other way!" Aang announced. Katara closed her arms around him, and suddenly he was enclosed in a group hug - save for Zuko and Rin, who stood separate, like outsiders or lone islands.

"Get over here!" Suki jeered to Zuko and Rin.

"Being part of the group also means being part of group hugs." Katara insisted.

Reluctantly, Zuko joined in, and was quickly accepted into the hug, Katara and Toph wrapping their arms around his back.

"You too, Toffee!" Toph shifted sideways, opening a gap in the circle for Rin.

She edged away a little. "N-no thanks, I don't really do hugs..."

"C'mon... you're missing out!" Sokka beckoned her with a flick of his wrist.

"Please?" Aang asked sincerely.

Grumbling to herself, Rin walked up to them. "Fine."

At that instant, Aang heard a strange crashing noise. Appa landed behind them, enormous and heavy and reckless, but strong and kind and brave. He joined the hug, and Momo too leapt up into Rin's shoulder to enjoy the generosity of others. Also the sunlight was better there.

They closed in around her, and happily, Aang realised that he was with all of his friends, and they were hugging, and it was sunny, and he was hopeful.

Everything would get better.

**A/N: Whewwwwwwwwww…**

**I took most of the lines in that from S3 Episode 18 'Sozin's Comet: Part 1: The Phoenix King'. It took me ages of switching from the episode to the doc, trying to copy down the subtitles, when I really should've been sleeping. **

**What do you think of the story so far? **


	6. Chapter 6: Warmth

**Chapter 6: Inevitable**

With only five remaining days to train for the terrifying battle ahead of them, Aang was really stressing out. He was losing sleep, losing focus, losing his grip. Zuko yelled at him to wake up every morning, and Katara yelled at him to go to sleep every night. Soon, Aang suspected he would go deaf.

The only freedom he had from training was when Rin took him down to the beach every day after lunch. She told the others she was training, but actually she would let him sit in peace and quiet for an hour, while she showed him new Airbending moves or practised or told him soft stories. Aang's favourite of her tales was one about a sky bison who travelled the world. Rin was very good at telling stories.

"Okay, Aang. Imagine that Toph is the Fire Lord. How will you take her down?" Sokka whipped around to face the Earthbender, who was laughing maniacally at the idea of being the Fire Lord.

"Uh… maybe I could talk–" Aang began, but broke off when Sokka intercepted him.

"Leap on her from a high rock and put an ice spear through his heart? Good idea!"

Katara, also part of the training exercise, created a long shard of ice, with pointed, jagged tips, and tossed it over to Sokka. He caught it and handed it to Aang, like it was a precious and powerful sword.

The Avatar held it like it was a dead monkey rat.

"FIGHT ME!" Toph screeched, Earthbending a couple of rocks shaped like soldiers at them. Katara and Sokka leapt into action, but Aang was hesitant. He glanced over his shoulder, at Rin, Suki and Zuko, who were practising their bending. He couldn't help but notice that Rin kept on staring back at him, inquisitively.

"Come on Aang! Take her down!" Sokka encouraged him. "Wait actually, just pretend to! Don't hurt Toph!"

"YOU MEAN THE FIRE LORD?!" the Earthbender screamed, grinning as she created more soldier-shaped rocks. Katara slashed through one after the other with her powerful water, and stabbed the ones coming from behind with shards of deadly ice. Sokka swung his sword left and right, hoping it would hit something.

Aang pushed himself off of the high rock he sat on, aiming at Toph, with the ice spear held out in front of him.

But he couldn't do it.

At the last second, Aang pulled away, falling to the side and snapping the ice spear in two.

"I can't."

"What's wrong with you?" Sokka scowled, striding up to Aang and Toph. "Just pretend to stab her. Touch her arm or something. If this was the real deal, you'd be shot full of lightning right now. Zappity zap, no more Aang."

"I'm sorry, but it just doesn't feel right. I didn't feel like myself." Aang mumbled.

Sokka raised an indignant eyebrow, then drew his sword and slashed through the air above Toph's head.

"Watch it!" she cried, as she ducked. His sword passed clean over her head.

"There, that's how it's done." Sokka grunted.

That evening, they sat around the fire, eating dinner, and discussed their plans for the upcoming battle. Aang sat a little apart from the group, by himself, staring blankly at his food and not touching it. He could hear Sokka's voice behind him, describing their situation, and Zuko's too, adding details.

Rin crept up to him and sat down on his left. "Are you alright?"

"No. I don't want to kill the Fire Lord."

She didn't ask why. She knew why. And Aang suspected that she agreed with him, yet just hadn't voiced it yet.

Slowly and quietly, Rin spoke again. "I keep trying to think of ways we could defeat him without killing him. I couldn't come up with anything… unless you could take his bending away, somehow?"

"I can't… at least, I don't think I can." Aang sighed.

Rin put her hand on his back. "Well, I guess you'll just have to try talking to him. Or knocking him out, that might work."

Later, the group were thinking through their entire battle strategy.

"What happens if you can't defeat the Fire Lord without killing him?" Zuko's brow furrowed.

Aang and Rin shared a nervous glimpse. The Avatar the turned, and nodded confidently at Zuko. "I have to try. If I can't... plan B?"

"What's plan B?" interrogated Rin.

Sokka flicked his sapphire eyes left and right, frowning boldly. "We all try to kill him before he kills us."

This shocked Aang and Rinzen, who hadn't yet heard the horrendous backup plan. Hopefully, it would never have to go into action. Katara pursed her lips.

The sun was beginning to fall by the time they had finished, it's golden light drifting beyond the horizon, the sparkling reflection glittering on the waves of the ocean below. The clearing they rested in was alive with animals of all types, the chirping and chattering of bugs, the cackling and singing of birds, the herding and calling of monkeys, the whispering and rustling of leaves. It was beautiful. Aang wished that he could sit on the sand and enjoy this nature rich moment forever. That he never had to fight the Fire Lord.

Yet it was inevitable.

He was joined by the rest of Team Avatar. They dropped to their knees beside him, Katara on his left and Rin on his right, watching the sun hide behind rosy clouds. Sokka and Suki sat next to Katara, and Zuko and Toph sat next to Rin.

Together.

Aang wanted it to never end.

**A/N: A very short chapter this time, but that's because I felt like ending it at a nice, warm moment… before it descends into chaos in the next chapter! :)**


	7. Chapter 7: Dreams

Toph Beifong lay awake that night.

She could feel the gentle thump of heartbeats through the ground, the familiar pattern of Momo's feet as he tried to find the best spot to sleep, Appa's heavy breathing - already asleep, she supposed. Through the stone, she could also sense another six, all humans, all in their tents. Sokka - she knew it was him, since she'd spent so much time getting used to feeling him through the floor, seeing his energy, recognising his heartbeat and breathing and foot pattern - was fast asleep, tangled in the covers.

Aang was sitting up in his tent, meditating. She could feel the slow pace of his breath as it shifted through his nose and into the chilly night air. His tent was left slightly unzipped, perhaps so that breeze could filter through.

Katara was asleep as well as Suki, but only lightly. The Waterbender's breath was quiet against the floor, and the Kyoshi Warrier's position neutral and normal.

The Airbender, Rinzen, or Caramel as Sokka and Toph now called her (Toffee sounded too much like Toph) was slowly falling asleep, also tangled in her covers.

Yet Zuko was awake. He trained in his tent, doing press-ups and planks and who knows what. Toph would've rolled her eyes if it made any difference to her; the Firebender was _always_ training.

She closed her eyes, trying to ignore the beats on the floor for a moment as she attempted to drift off.

Something awoke her, but it wasn't the sound of footsteps - there were none - and it wasn't the feeling of an extra pulse; an extra heartbeat - neither was there one, it was something else.

She closed her eyes and concentrated on the feeling; the sense that something was wrong. They didn't seem to be in any sort of danger, although of course, she couldn't sense any attacks from the sky… suppose the attacker knew that? Supposed it was Azula, coming to kill them?

Scaring herself, Toph took a deep breath. And within this deep breath, she discovered the source of fear.

Sokka.

His heart was hammering against the stone, yet he was still asleep.

A dream? Or a nightmare?

"Sokka, I'm so proud of you…" Yue reaches out, as of to stroke the boy's cheek, but hesitated and then drew it back.

He felt tears in his eyes, and cursed himself for being so weak. "Yue?"

"Yes?" she replied, her voice like silky curtains in the dead of night, whispering and billowing.

Sokka swallowed the lump in his throat and croaked, "I miss you."

"I miss you too," she whispered, her voice ghostly and hollow. "You're going to do amazing on the mission, Sokka. You're so brave."

He didn't dare blink, in case it all went away, in case Yue disappeared. His eyes as wide as the moon was bright— wait, no, that's a cruel comparison.

Carefully, Sokka edged forwards, wanting to be closer to the warm light that emanated from Yue. Her beautiful long white dress floated delicately around her, and her hair seemed to drift upwards like steam.

"Good luck Sokka… not that you need it," she told him, reaching out again. This time, the spirit did not draw back her hand. Instead, she put it tenderly down on his cheek.

Sokka leaned into the warmth and the light. Yue instructed him to close his eyes.

He didn't want to, but he found himself obeying. All of a sudden, the warmth was replaced by freezing cold stone under his cheek. Sokka's sapphire eyes flew open, and he started forth, searching for Yue.

She was nothing but a mere dream.

The warrior cursed himself again.

Toph let slip a tiny gasp from her lips.

Whatever Sokka had been dreaming about had really startled him, and she could feel some sort of sadness and guilt pulse from the stone beneath her sensitive feet. She rolled over onto her left side, tossing and turning and trying to ignore the feelings sent through the rocky, comfortable ground to her.

A few seconds later, she gave up, and simply let the feelings take over. She saw Rin, lying slumped in her tent, quiet but wriggling in her sleep. Toph couldn't help but notice the fiery spark inside of her. When all you can do is feel a person through their vibrations, it becomes pretty easy to focus on their personality, feelings and voice, since it's impossible to see their features. She'd learned to rely on her senses, and that was a much more reliable way of telling someone's emotion than just expressions.

Currently, she could feel a rushing sadness coming from Rin. Something was gloomy inside of her dreams - or nightmares, perhaps. Just like Sokka, Rinzen was not having the most peaceful of nights - but Toph already knew that she didn't sleep easily. Her racing heartbeat had a habit of waking the Earthbender up in the middle of the night.

She closed her eyes once more, trying to listen.

Rinzen felt like she was watching a movie.

Frozen in place, the girl could not move, as she was forced to watch whatever played on the massive screen in front of her. Shards of memories collided with fantasy, and she saw her dad; warm, summery eyes, pale skin and pitch black hair, long and glossy. She knew that monks weren't supposed to really know their true parents, but Rin wasn't really a monk, she knew deep within her heart.

Buried among that, her father, limping away - she wasn't sure why he limped, he'd never told her - shrugging on a long black cloak. It swirled around him like mist around a mountain peak.

She recalled her father hobbling into the distance, over the clouds, but in her real memory, she knew he had hiked down the mountain, instead. You couldn't walk on clouds.

Rin wished she had questioned him more, and longed to see him again. She'd been eight the last time she saw him, and now she was thirteen. Since then, they'd moved from the Forgotten Temple to the Western Air Temple, and the crevice that lay beneath it became their new home. The surviving Airbenders hadn't told her father of this new plan, and Rin hadn't known about it at the time. Every three years, they moved, to stay ahead of the Fire Nation. Some of the survivors had left, gone to blend in with the crowds of Fire Nation citizens, but some were too afraid or merely didn't want to. Rin was only among those because she felt some sort of responsibility to look after her people for as long as they needed her.

Another iceberg of memories smashed into her, and plunged her underwater, where she heard a familiar but unrecognisable voice whisper a sentence in her ear, and a field of long, wispy grass. The sun was setting over the hills of green, and the sky had turned the colour of wheat. She felt a soft hand on her shoulder, which felt comfortable yet she didn't know whose hand it was.

"Rin, my dear…" said the voice, floating on the wind, breathy and tender.

Rinzen wished to look up at the person with their hand on her shoulder, but she still couldn't move.

The person continued, "You're not who you think you are."

And with those final seven words, everything disappeared into a pool of ink, spilled across worn parchment.

**A/N: boom**

**MYSTERY!**

**(again, a short chapter, I apologise)**


	8. Chapter 8: Chase

**Chapter 8: Chase**

"We're out of food!" Katara stated, after rifling through all of their bags for any leftover scraps.

After a long and frightful night for all of them, all the group wanted just a good breakfast. And now they would be deprived of it, just because nobody had been to the market in a while, and there wasn't exactly a lot of good things to eat in the forests, apart from berries and meat, which both Aang and Rin refused to eat, as vegetarians would do so.

Toph was already putting on the clothes that they'd stolen a while ago from the Fire Nation, all red and gold and black. Zuko wore Fire Nation clothes constantly, so there was no need for him to change his outfit, yet the others did. Both Suki and Rin didn't have any clothes, however thankfully, both Zuko and Katara had spares.

Rin snatched the crimson robes from out of Zuko's arms, grinning at the thought of infiltrating a Fire Nation village. Katara handed Suki a dress, and she ducked inside to change into it.

"I'm glad I got Zuko's clothes," Rin told Toph. "I hate dresses."

"Me too." Toph replied, and they high-fived each other before Rin slipped into her tent to get changed.

Zuko blinked in surprise. "Those are gonna be way too big for her." he pointed out.

Realising this, Sokka snickered to himself. "I can't wait to see this!"

His sister turned around to face him. "At least Suki has clothes that fit."

"Suki's wearing– oh." the Water Tribe warrior's face flushed red.

A few seconds later, Rin emerged from her tent, grinning.

Everybody burst out laughing.

Zuko's clothes hung from her figure like blankets on a scarecrow. They trailed along the floor behind her, and she kept having to pull the shoulders of the tunic up, since they kept slipping down. Rin was laughing herself, probably imagining how ridiculous she must look.

"Okay, that is _not_ gonna work!" Sokka choked out between laughs.

"YOU THINK?" Rin threw her head back, laughing unbelievably hard.

Shyly, Suki edged out of the tent. Sokka paused his laughing to admire her, but he grimaced. Katara's clothes didn't really fit her properly in all the wrong places. Katara covered her mouth, probably hiding a smile, as Suki tried to look at herself by twisting round.

Sokka sidled up to her. "You look… great!"

"Don't even try." Suki grumbled, scowling.

"Rin and Suki can get new clothes when we get to the village." said Katara, still snickering to herself.

As they approached the village, they came across a farm, with washing hanging up beside the window. It was pretty lucky, they thought, that there were clothes the perfect sizes for Suki and Rin, which matched their styles perfectly. However, it was unlucky that the woman who was hanging the clothes happened to notice them stealing some, and began to yell at them profusely.

"Sorry!" Rin yelled over her shoulder, as she ran off with the red and black outfit she'd taken.

The girls got changed pretty quickly, and the group entered the village just as fast.

Zuko was wearing a ruby cloak over his normal clothes - one that he'd taken from the old lady at the farm. Rin mentioned that it was a little weird, but Zuko believed that someone might recognise him from his scar, as the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation - or the traitor.

"Hey look, food!" Sokka exclaimed, running cheerfully towards a stall of interesting Fire Nation dishes.

"Flameo, hotman!" Aang nodded his head at the passing villagers, who in turn stared at him, confused.

The Firebender that they travelled with scrunched up his nose and narrowed his one good eye. "What are you saying?"

"Just greeting everyone. You know, like they do in the Fire Nation. I'm blending in!" Aang responded, a smile taking over his face.

Pinching his forehead, Zuko growled, "That's not how we greet each other."

"Then… how do you greet each other?" Aang murmured, frowning.

"We don't." snapped Zuko, striding forwards and handing a merchant a couple of bronze coins for the bowl of fire flakes that Sokka had just taken. He said nothing to the man as he passed.

Suddenly, Toph perked up. "There's a bunch of guards coming this way!"

"Quick, down here," Zuko hushed, beckoning for the group to slip down an alleyway.

"No, this way!" Katara hissed, trying to get her friends to follow her down a similar alley on the other side of the street.

Aang, Sokka, Suki, Toph and Rin were torn between the two alleys. They were right in the middle of the street, with the guards advancing on them, and two friends on either side of them, trying to get them to go down different alleys.

"Fine, go that way!" spat the Firebender, shoving the others in the direction of Katara's alley. They dashed into the cover of darkness, Zuko right behind them.

He tripped on a brick of uneven cobblestone in his hurry, and with a shocked expression morphing onto his typically gruff, grumpy, gloomy face, fell–

Right into Katara's open arms.

She held him for a moment, meeting his fierce gaze, before removing her hands disgustedly and letting him drop to the floor, on his face.

"You deserved that." she huffed.

Zuko got up, soundless, and tugged his hood on. Nobody noticed Rin, leaning out of the alley, peering at the guards as they surged over the cobblestone. They passed without noticing her or the group, who were too fixated on the fight between Katara and Zuko.

"Wait, stop! Stop fighting!" Aang cried, trying to separate the two. "C'mon, how am I supposed to keep peace in the world when I can't even keep peace between you two?!"

"Normally I love a good fight, but seriously, we have a problem," Toph said darkly.

"What?" both the arguing benders chorused furiously.

Toph took a startled step back, raising her hands. "Caramel's gone."

"Rin!" Sokka yelled.

"You can't just call her name all around the village. Rin isn't exactly a… Fire Nation name." Katara sighed.

"Okay then. Caramel!"

"That's not a proper name either."

Zuko glanced in their direction. "She has a point."

The Waterbender put her hands on her hips and faced her back to him, before approaching Aang and asking him what to do. The others gathered round.

"Why are you asking me?" Aang frowned.

Suki shrugged. "You know Rin the best. Where would she go?"

The Avatar shook his head. "I don't know her that well! I have no idea where she– hey wait, there she is!"

Everyone turned their heads in the direction of Aang's pointed finger, and sure enough, caught a glimpse of Rin through the crowd. She made her way between the sea of Fire Nation villagers and merchants like a cat through a field of grass, graceful and slick.

"Well, what are you waiting for, go!"

It took a lot of running and squeezing past people, but finally, Zuko managed to catch up to Rin, who had been trailing the group of soldiers from earlier. He grabbed her shoulder just as she was about to disappear, his cloak falling down to his shoulders at the sudden, jerky movement. At first, she tried to wriggle free, but she rapidly gave up when she recognised him, his hood down and his face in the sunlight.

"What are you doing?" Zuko flared, his face a mess of creased, angry features.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm following the guards." the Airbender answered back, wrenching her shoulder free from his tight grip.

"Why?"

She spun around, but not quick enough. Zuko had still seen the instantaneous tears in her frosty eyes. Shocked, he let her go, and she ran off back towards them. Rin threw a glance over her shoulder to see if Zuko was following her; which he was.

As she did so, she forgot to pay attention to the people in front of her, and ended up running straight into the group of guards.

Zuko reached them and halted. The guard, who Rin had knocked over by slamming into him, got to his feet. Extending a hand, Zuko helped Rinzen to her feet, and pulling her closer to him, wanting to protect her from the fire of the guards.

"Please excuse my sister, sirs. She was only playing a game. We'll be on our way," he tried to cover up, slowly turning around to walk in the opposite direction, steering Rin with him.

Nevertheless, the guards would not let them off so easily. "Hey! We're looking for a group of criminals– I'm sure you've seen the posters. Have you anything that might help us find them? Information said that they were seen somewhere around here recently."

With that, the guard indicated a large pinboard a few metres to the left. He stared at the posters decorating the pinboard for a second, before realising that one was of him, and suddenly all of the guards' eyes had fallen onto the scar on the left side of his face.

"You! You're one of the criminals!" gasped the guard.

Zuko and Rin could do nothing but run.

They sprinted past all the merchants, selling things that varied from expensive golden necklaces to cabbages, pushing past people. Everything was a blur of red and grey and gold, the blue sky clouding ominously above their heads, and the stones tan under their feet.

The guards chased after them, spurting small wisps of fire from their hands in a feeble attempt to clear the path.

"Stop!" the guards shouted as they followed the pair.

Rin rounded a corner and found Aang waiting for them. She almost crashed into him, but stopped herself at the last second.

She smiled, before shoving him in the direction that they were running in.

"Go!"

"I think we lost them." Rin whispered.

They surveyed the area, deserted of people. The three of them stood in the middle of an empty square, closed in by small, cosy looking cottages made of red bricks and tiled roofs, with ivy clambering up the sides. The flagstones beneath them were the colour of sand, and in the center of the square was a pretty fountain, small and marble and spitting clear water. It was peaceful, quiet and lonely.

Zuko's eyes - or at least, his right eye - widened. "Shh!"

They crouched behind the fountain, hearts racing, as footsteps pattered over the ground.

"Aang! Zuko! Caramel!"

Rin leaped from her hiding space, and with the agility and grace of a true Airbender, somersaulted right over the fountain to greet the others. Toph stood in front, grinning proudly, with Sokka, Katara and Suki right behind.

Aang also darted from our behind the fountain, flirted across to Katara and hugged her. Sokka edged away, before smirking at Zuko, who had left the hiding spot a little less enthusiastically. He tried to hide his small smile as Sokka trotted over to him and playfully punched the teenager on the shoulder.

"I have no idea what you were doing but it looked cool." Sokka remarked.

"Have we got all the food we need?" Aang asked Katara.

She nodded, and the Avatar let out a relieved sigh. "I think we should leave."

"Caramel," called Toph, directing her attention to the Airbender, who looked up at her in surprise. "Why were you following the guards, anyway?"

She winced. "Oh, I uh, I saw a bunch of keys on one of the guys. I thought that if I got it, it would be okay if someone got captured because we could break them out, and we wouldn't have to worry about the guards so much. It was stupid, I know."

"No, that was actually pretty smart. Still, you should tell us these things before running off." Sokka patted her on the head. She stared daggers at him as he did so.

"She's lying." Toph breathed, in a low tone to Zuko.

"Why are you telling me?" he inquired, frowning.

"Because you know that already. And you know something else too." she whispered.

Katara was already leading the group out of the square, which now was beginning to feel a little creepy since it was so perfectly pretty yet disturbingly quiet.

They trailed behind Katara, after sharing a foreboding glimpse.

**A/N: now for the chaos yee :)**


	9. Chapter 9: Comet

**Chapter 9: Comet**

It had finally come.

The day that Sozin's comet was to streak across the sky, staining the air with blood and writing the fate of the world as it did so.

"Hurry!" Zuko yelled, giving Toph a hand up onto Appa. Momo glided over and landed on Aang's shoulder, which shook with fear, just like the rest of him.

"Yip-yip!" Aang told his sky bison, which took gracefully into the air. The sky was fading from a dreary grey to scarlet, as Sozin's comet approached the atmosphere. Rin tingled with terror as they cut through the sky on a quest to reach the Fire Nation before the Fire Lord and his fleet of Airships took off.

They skimmed over the ocean, dipping so low that Appa managed to spray water on either side of him. Despite the Avatar's beating heart, he knew he was ready and capable. He had to be.

Not long into their flight, shapes appeared on the horizon.

"They've already taken flight." gasped Sokka.

Dark and ominous and spiky, a fleet of warships slashed through the sky in an arrow formation. Another airship, larger than the others and adorned with a massive golden phoenix head, ripping through the air, was a little ahead. And standing bravely on the platform that extended from it, the threatening silhouette of the Fire Lord.

"Stay out of sight." Sokka reminded Aang. "Need me to run through the plan one last time?"

"No, Sokka. We've got it." Katara informed him, pulling her brother close as they ascended towards the airship furthest left.

She enclosed him in a fond, caring hug, before Appa slowed to hover above a platform. Speedily, Katara hugged Suki and Toph too, before they were deposited on the platform of one of the Fire Nation airships.

"Good luck!" Rin called to them, as Appa swerved away from the ship and began to head towards the Fire Nation.

"Alright, you two go ahead. Me and Rin will... see you later." said Aang, his faltering voice uneven.

Katara nodded, yet there were tears in her eyes as she wrapped her arms around Aang. He returned the hug, and their embrace seemed to last a lot longer. Rinzen shook her head when Katara neared her, but the Waterbender still pulled her close. Rin patted her back carefully.

"Take care of Aang." she whispered as she pulled away.

"I will." Rin promised, before diving from Appa's saddle.

Aang also pushed off of Appa, opening his glider as he did so and soaring off agilely in the direction of the Earth Kingdom.

Almost at sea level, at possibly the last minute, Rin opened her own vibrant green glider and pulled up, spinning up to Aang. It was the first time she'd tested out the replacement glider since it had been made, rushingly, the day before. Rin, and Sokka had managed to make it using leaves, vines, and a long branch.

It supported her well; Rin made her way gracefully up to Aang and near the warships. Behind her, Katara and Zuko steered Appa away, intending on defeating Azula, who remained in the Fire Nation.

Balancing delicately on the flat surface of a towering boulder, the Avatar lashed out with three chunks of rocks, all aimed perfectly for the engines of the warship in lead, which had reached the coast and was making its way quickly inland.

Each of the three rocks met their marks, destroying the engines of the airship with ease. As the ship went down, a confident leader leaped forth from the wreck, and rocketed into the open air before dropping onto another higher platform of rock.

Rinzen swooped down from above, gliding low and circling him, like a predator would circle its prey. She eyed him, clearly hurt and hungry for some sort of revenge.

Ozai could feel the power of the comet surging through every bone in his body, and immense heat burst from his fingertips, scorching the landscape and sending every bird in the area flying for the heavens. Millions of animals scattering, swarms of shapes across the ground and in the sky, as Aang blocked the fire and sent rock after rock at Ozai.

He paused after dodging or blocking them all. And spoke.

"After generations of Fire Lords failed to find you," he was smiling. "Now the Universe delivers you to me as an act of providence.

Rin, still tracking the two overhead, waited for Aang to attack first.

"Please listen to me. We don't have to fight." the Avatar pleaded, smoke billowing out in the ruins behind him. "You have the power to end it here and stop what you're doing."

"You are right." Ozai said, still smiling. Rin heard these three, simple words, and nearly fell right out of the red and black sky, completely stunned. "I do have the power. I have all the power in the world!" And with that, Rinzen was assured that Ozai was definitely himself, as fire exploded from his hands and mouth, roaring like some sort of dragon.

**(A/N: I'm going to be a little bit lazy for this bit. Watch Sozin's Comet Part 3 for what happens to Zuko, Katara, Sokka, Toph and Suki during this chapter.)**

Ozai began his attack, launching fireball after fireball at Aang, who backed up and managed to block them. Rinzen travelled through the air and blasted gusts of wind at Ozai, which knocked him off of the boulder he perched on.

The Fire Lord, astonished by Rin's attack, blasted fire from his fists and flew up onto a new platform, sending a wall of amber flames in her direction. Rin swept them aside with a simple flick of her wrist, which Aang could swear looked like Firebending to him. But Rin was an Airbender. It had to be some sort of Airbending move, he convinced himself as he got to his feet and resumed the battle.

Terrifying but beautiful flames surrounded Ozai, the colour of topaz. Even from far, Aang could feel the heat scorching his skin, see the smoke wafting into the air and staining the sky black, as ash rained down on them all, flaky and sticky and coating every available surface. Aang stared up at the blood red sky, and started forwards.

The Fire Lord sprung like a coil, or a pouncing predator, fire blossoming from his fists. Aang threw up a brief, brisk wall of rock in front of him, which acted as a shield before he kicked the stones into Ozai's fierce expression. He didn't back away, and only advanced on Aang, who drew back with fear and fatigue.

Boldly, Aang issued his own fire, an explosion that bloomed from the tips of his slender fingers, and spread through the air, whipping around Ozai like a lasso. Yet the Firebender used his own heat to disperse Aang's fire, and protect himself from Rin's oncoming air attacks. She blew wind after wind, gale after gale, in the hopes that just one would knock him to the ground.

Just as Ozai reached up to defend himself and knock Rinzen out of the sky, Aang called to her. "Rin! It's okay, I've got it! Go help the others!"

"No, I'm staying here!" she insisted. Ozai chose this moment, as the Airbender was distracted, to launch his attack. Flames engulfed Rin, and Aang heard her startled scream echoing around the rocky, barren landscape.

Her piercing shriek rattled in Aang's ears, and forced more anxiety and fury into the flames that spurted from him, lashing out at Ozai with an animalistic instinct. In the corner of his eye, Aang spotted a shape plummeting to the ground.

While Ozai was busy fending off his previous attack, a fiery version of the water whip, Aang flitted across the sky to catch Rin.

However, the girl managed to catch herself on a bed of wind. She winked at Aang, and as his attention was drawn to her eyes, he noted that they'd seemingly changed colour. Instead of as white as the moon, those constantly wide and startled eyes of hers were as golden as the sun, and as ferocious as a tiger bear. She clawed at Ozai with her powerful wind blasts just like he clawed at Aang with his fire.

And just now did Ozai feel like he might perhaps be actually losing.

His backup plan was thrown quickly into action.

"Weak!" Ozai cried at Aang, his hands hidden behind his back. Rin hovered at the Avatar's shoulder, keeping herself just above the ground with Airbending.

"Just like your people, you're both weak!" this time, Ozai's tormenting teasing was directed at the both of them. He had finally realised that Rin was also a surviving Airbender.

"Oh, you don't know what you're saying." Rinzen hissed under her breath.

It all happened at once, so fast, yet so slow.

To Aang, it was like seeing photos; frames of animation passing by. Everything spiralling out of his control. No time to act or move.

The words had just been Ozai stalling, and trying to provoke and aggravate the Airbending pair. Behind his back, he'd been summoning lightning the whole time, and Aang hadn't noticed a thing. When the sky flashed with blue, and lightning struck across the sky, closing on him, he only had time to inhale sharply. The memory of lightning striking through his bones, engulfing him, filling him with a powerful, uncontrollable energy that reverberated inside of him, pulsed in his ears and flickered before his eyes. The experience of being struck was both exhilarating and terrifying.

But that was not to happen.

This time, someone was rapid and abrupt than him, someone who reached forward, first two fingers extended and the rest tucked in like a finger gun, someone with starry skin and sunset eyes and wind blown hair.

The lightning entered Rinzen's control, as she seized it with her redirecting pose, and as her body moved so did the lightning, shifting down past her chi and up through her right arm, which gave a shudder and a jolt as she pointed it at Fire Lord Ozai.

With a burst of light, she let go of the lightning, and it ate up the air like a ravenous beast before tearing into the Fire Lord. He hardly had time to react.

Rinzen had just redirected lightning.

It should've killed her instantly, Aang only realised later. At that moment in time, all he could think about was the petrified expression that had taken over Ozai's fearful face as his body convulsed in the lightning.

Frozen stiff with shock, Aang couldn't move, and neither could Rin, apart from her violent shivering. As the dust settled, the Fire Lord lay, battered, twitching and curled up on the boulder.

And Aang hadn't done a thing.

After much prodding and kicking, it was true that the Fire Lord had been defeated - still conscious, not dead. Avatar Aang stared into the sky, which was slowly fading from the frightening bold red to a softer inky colour, dark and cool and gentle.

Rin put her hand on Aang's shoulder. She was trying to swallow, but her throat was dry with the remnants of terror.

"No..." Ozai uttered. Aang and Rin spun on their heels to watch him, raising their arms in case he made any further moves. "NO! I will NOT LOSE TODAY!"

With those petrifying words, the Fire Lord used the last of the strength gifted to him by Sozin's comet.

A line of slithering, snakelike lava slipped silently across the rock, unnoticed as their attention was diverted, stormy grey and soft ginger eyes fixed on Ozai, making its way at breakneck speed towards the two.

All of a sudden, Rin arched her back, her spine twisting with an instantaneous pain. Her neck snapped back, and she crumpled to the ground, eyes rolling back inside her head and mouth hanging slack; her body limp and listless.

One single droplet of boiling, bubbling lava dropped from her charred clothes.

At that instant, the Avatar saw the world brighten and sharpen, details coming into focus that he had never noticed before. Contrasting, saturating, stinging his eyes with detail. He couldn't feel any pain or need inside of him; all his could feel was some sort of alive energy that wriggled right to the tips of his toes.

Purely out of fury and upset, Avatar Aang entered the Avatar State.

**A/N: i am so lazy sorry**


	10. Chapter 10: Ashes

**Chapter 10: Ashes**

"What... happened?"

It was all bits and pieces. Aang could only wheeze out words, as his voice was rough and his throat as dry as sandpaper. He knew he was lying, slumped in someone's arms - who's, he didn't know or care - quivering and confused. He could still feel power settling itself deep inside him, but with that power he could feel pain. His head ached as if he'd slammed it into a wall, and every limb of his was exhausted of energy.

The world was spinning... Aang felt sick and dizzy and queasy... would it just stop spinning?! Stop, stop, stop... the Airbender repeated the word in his head over and over, hoping the buzzing, humming noise in his ears would go away and the sensation of being well would come back.

Aang coughed, and felt a warm, caring hand pat him warily on the back.

"I'll tell you later, when you feel better." said a soothing voice.

Wait, the sky!

The Avatar looked up at the sky in wonder... if had finally come to rest, the spinning feeling disappearing as the red tinged clouds came into focus. Like an endless expanse of blue, the dark night sky was scattered with stars, like freckles across cheeks, or glitter across card, or gems among rocks. An ocean of jet black, swirling and mysterious, brooding and ominous yet clear and beautiful.

It had begun to rain. Dreary slate-grey clouds mixed in with the scarlet ones, and sometimes it was hard to tell the difference between the clouds and the night.

Robust, fat raindrops exploded on every surface all around Aang, and despite the person who held him who shielded him from the worst of it, he could feel those icy droplets on his hot skin.

Thinking about the rain on his skin made Aang more aware of his injuries and pains. His headache had increased, and it felt like someone had just left weights on his chest. His blood and open cuts stung persistently in the open air, and lumps where he knew he would get bruises throbbed agonisingly.

Particularly, a part in his lower back was burning up. It was possibly his scar, given to him by Azula, acting up. The scar that had blocked his last chakra, resulting in the loss of the Avatar State—

Wait.

What had actually happened? How could any...

Despite his enormous amount of curiosity, Aang would have to wait until later to get his questions answered. For now, he was calmed by the rhythmic drumming of the rain and the coolness of it on his skin, so overwhelmed by the fatigue in his muscles, that he just had to reluctantly give in to sleep. A deep one too.

When he next awoke, Aang found himself in a completely different place. He felt the rhythmic breathing of Appa settled behind him, and twisted around to lean into his silky, glossy fur, burying his face in it fondly. The Avatar was so glad that his bison was okay.

He then turned, leaning back, and scanning the landscape. Aang was seated, slumped against Appa, on the top of a tall green hill in what appeared to be the Fire Nation capital, judging by the many houses and streets below. They were celebrating, cheering ecstatically, the roads lined with explosive ruby-red decor, firecrackers, dragon and lion dances, and Firebending demonstrations and performances. It was lively and animated.

He heard someone approach just then, from behind. "Aang, you're awake!" Katara's soothing, familiar voice cheered, as she entered his line of vision. The sky was glowing embers, fading and dying into the darkness; into the night, as the sun closed in on the sparkling sea, threatening to disappear over the side.

"Katara, you're okay!" he smiled, reaching out to hug her. He found as he did so that his limbs were as heavy as iron, weighing down his arms and making it impossible to move properly. "What happened?"

Conveying some sort of relaxation through the way she slowly placed a bowl of broth before him, at his lap, and handed him a spoon, Katara paused before telling him the tale. He began to sip the delicious soup. The Waterbender also has some of her own, and took slurps between sentences.

"I don't know everything that you did, but what I do know is what Rin told me." as she said the name of the other Airbender, Katara's smile felt suddenly false, her eyes growing cold and dark, the darkest night, the most horrendous rain and the howling wind whipping past ears and slicing frosty cheeks.

Aang remained silent as she carried on.

"I'll start with how Zuko and I faced off Azula. She challenged him to an Agni Kai, which I was left out of, sleuth the rules and all.

"Zuko seemed to be winning. Something was wrong with Azula; she was slipping... anyway, she drew some lightning, and decided to strike me instead of Zuko. You see, I was watching from behind. She aimed her lightning."

Aang gasped.

Katara did not stop reciting her tale. She had probably repeated it many times for the others. "Instead of hitting me, Zuko leapt in front of the lightning, and it struck him instead. I froze Azula, then wrapped chains around her wrists and tied her to the floor."

"Is Zuko okay?!" cried Aang.

"Yes, he's fine. I ran over and healed him while Azula threw a fit." answered the confident Water Tribe girl.

"What about Rin?"

"I'm just getting to that." Katara sighed and rolled her eyes at the impatient, desperate look on Aang's face. "Sokka, Suki and Toph managed to wipe out the fleet of airships, although Sokka lost both his boomerang and space sword, and he broke his leg. Toph and Suki were also injured, but not as bad. I've healed his leg but the bone needs to set by itself, so it will take a little while."

"And Rin?"

The Waterbender hesitated before wrapping her arm around his shoulder and taking another drink of her broth. "She's okay—"

"Oh phew." Aang exhaled, letting out a breath that he didn't realise he'd been holding.

"Except you kind of maybe hurt her a little? In the Avatar State."

"WHAT?! What did I do?!" yelled Aang in shock. He tried to stand, but was too weak and wobbly, and fell straight away. Katara supported him and helped him up so that he was sitting again, breathing heavily and irregularly.

"She's fine!" Katara assured him. "You just lashed out with a bit of fire... singed her just a little bit..."

Aang gulped. "Are you sure she's alright? Are the injuries healed now? Did she forgive me yet?"

"Oh, I'm pretty sure she's forgiven you. She's dying to see you, but I wouldn't let her near you while you were asleep." informed Katara. The Avatar looked hopeful.

"But is she healed?" he checked.

Once again she hesitated.

"Katara?"

"It's a little... behind my abilities, Aang." she told him nervously. "I did what I could, but only the spirit water could really..."

With that, Aang flew to his feet. Immediately he was overwhelmed by an enormous sensation of queasiness, but he waited patiently for it to pass. "I have to see her. I have to apologise!"

"Aang, it was an accident—"

"No, I have to learn to control myself in the Avatar State. I can't be crazy! Wait, what happened to Ozai?!" he paced frantically back and forth. Appa raised his shaggy head thoughtfully, sniffed Aang, and licked him happily. Aang couldn't help but smile in return as he paced.

His smile dropped away like the rain as he faced Katara once again.

"Ozai was unconscious when we got there, and so were you. Rin was conscious... barely. We managed to get flying after she explained some of it, before she also passed out. We dumped Ozai in a prison where he can't bend or leave, in complete isolation, with only food and water and 24-hour guards." she explained in great detail.

Aang frowned. "Please take me to see Rinzen. I have to know what happened."

The Waterbender grasped his arm, standing up herself now. "Aang, please, you can't—"

"No! Let me see her!" he argued, shoving her away and promptly mounting Appa.

"Wait!"

Yet Katara was too late.

Aang reached the Fire Nation palace, where he found Zuko, standing outside and watching the sunset. It was truly getting dark now, the sky turning speedily blue and black.

"Zuko!" he yelped, making hasty headway for the Firebender, who had his long shiny hair pulled up in a neat top knot, and his honey-coloured eyes sparkling in the dispersing light of the sun.

"Aang!" Zuko raised his right eyebrow in shock and accepted the Avatar's embrace with kindness, and a sheepish tenderness. He truly did care, even if he acted like he didn't.

Their short hug only lasted a couple of seconds before Zuko peeled Aang off of him and took a step back. "You're finally awake. So much has happened, even though it's only been a day."

"A day?! Whoa, I was asleep for a while day?"

The older boy paused. "Well, yes."

"Yikes. Hey, well done on defeating Azula, by the way. Have you seen Rin?"

Zuko replied, "Thanks, but it was all Katara's work. All I did was get in the way and mess up, as usual." he scowled, grumpily. "Oh, also, I'm gonna be crowned new Fire Lord... but I've been waiting to hold the ceremony until you were up. Is tomorrow okay?"

"Sure, sure." Aang said dismissively, running off into the Fire Palace that sat elegantly behind Zuko. He searched the corridors, but there was no sign of Rinzen anywhere.

Soon, the Firebender joined him. "If you're looking for Rin, she's not here."

"Oh. You could've told me that before I started searching, maybe." Aang sighed indignantly.

"Sorry, I didn't know what you were looking for. She's with Toph, out in the gardens. I'll take you to them." Zuko escorted Aang down a saturated and vibrant corridor, all shades of rose red and beautiful bronze and raven black and glimmering gold... it was hard for Aang's eyes to take it all in. Before he knew it, Zuko had taken him outside, into a large stretch of viridescent grass. Trees, shrines, ponds and flowers could be found at every twist and turn on the stone path, leading all the way up to a limestone pavilion over the shallow water, dotted with koi fish, goldfish and turtle ducks.

Conifers leaned in over the pavilion, where Toph and another girl stood in the shade, slowly stretching as the sun fell.

Who else would it be but Rin? The long hair, that faded from a deep brown to a rustic lighter colour, tied in a high ponytail that tumbled down her back. Perfectly fitting orange and yellow robes, tinged slightly pink at sunset. Pale skin and freckles spattering her cheeks.

"Toph! Rin!"

They both spun around at the mention of their names, and pounced on Aang before he could take another step. Toph's familiar punch prodded him in the shoulder, and Rin snatched up his hand and held it tightly, like she never wanted to let go of it again. A few seconds later she noticed what she was doing and sheepishly dropped Aang's hand, allowing it to return to its usual resting position at Aang's side.

He took a good look at them.

Katara must've healed Toph already, she looked fine, apart from a single splotch of raw, pinkish skin on her right cheek. He wondered if it was a permanent scar or if it would go away.

On the other hand, Rin was looking... worse for wear.

Aang's hand flew to his mouth at the sight of the damage he'd done. Ha cross her throat was a wide slash of horrible red skin, and beneath that, possibly other things. It was ugly and noticeable, and probably very painful. Plus, her nose was crooked and her left ear looked pink and sore.

Yet the worst disfigurement of all was a rip in the skin below her mouth. It extended from the top of her lips, to just above her chin, a thin little scratch on the left side of her formerly perfect face. It revealed part of her teeth and gums, and certainly wasn't the nicest thing to look at.

"I'm so sorry!" Aang gasped guiltily, resisting the urge to drown himself in the pond beside them. He knew he was responsible for all of this pain, and it made his head spin with torment.

Rin blinked, before sighing softly. When she spoke, her voice was so different Aang could hardly recognise it. It was as scratchy as nails on sandpaper, or a knife or sword against crockery. Scratchy and rough and uneven.

"Aang, it's fine. It wasn't your fault, and I forgive you." she coughed, and a hand flew automatically to her throat. The guilt written all over Aang's sad face increased, and Rin felt a sharp pant of her own guilt, for making him feel so terrible, strike through her heart. She flinched as he spun and ran off into the heart of the gardens, leaving Zuko, Toph and Rinzen to stare at him as he sprinted.

It was late at night, bats fluttering low in the sky, clear and dotted with twinkling stars, winking at Aang as he sat quietly on the balcony, meditating.

"Aang," breathed Katara, entering the balcony. He opened one eye slightly, saw the girl, and closed it again. The Avatar took a deep breath.

"I know you're upset, but what happened to Rinzen… that's not your fault." she murmured, leaning on the railing, Aang facing her back. "I know it's tough being the Avatar, but don't you see, you've done it! You succeeded; you ended the war, and now there's peace among the kingdoms. Tomorrow, Zuko will be proclaimed Fire Lord. And we want you to be there," she sighed. "For me?"

Rin suddenly appeared, on the balcony behind the two of them, before Aang had the chance to answer. "Sorry if I'm interrupting." she croaked.

"It's okay, I was just leaving." Katara huffed, and moved stiffly away, back inside. She seemed too tired to deal with all of this at the moment, and she had every right to be.

The other Airbender sat down next to Aang, cross-legged, and closed her eyes. She mediated with him, and they both were silent for a long time.

Finally, Aang shattered the silence, too tense to deal with it for any longer. "Have you really forgiven me? Even though you can hardly speak and it must hurt so much?"

The girl nodded confidently. "Aang, I would always forgive those I love."

"Me too…" he agreed softly.

"I found the Air Nomads, by the way. We're going to travel to the Air Temples and rebuild them, and gather other survivors on the way. I'm not sure how many there are left, though, but I'm sure there will be more soon. The Airbenders are back!" she grinned, and hugged him.

Their embrace lasted only a few seconds, yet it felt like forever. Aang wanted to have Rin's warmth against him, her velvet robes rippling in the moonlight, her shimmering eyes and her gentle hands, beside him, forever. Every move she made sent a bolt of electricity through his body, a feeling Aang had never experienced until now, despite being struck by lightning a while ago. This was unlike that; unlike anything he had ever felt before.

Drawing back, Rin tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. It was hard to tell in the dim light of the crescent moon, but the tips of her eyes had flushed bright pink. Aang could feel his cheeks heating up too, and internally hoped that they weren't as red as they felt.

"I want to help you." he said.

She smiled. "You have, and you will. We can start at the Southern Air Temple, if you like."

Aang found himself leaning in, holding onto every word she said in that raspy, ruined voice of hers, that still managed to pronounce her gentle tone through the pain of the injury.

Katara, who had been standing at the end of the hallway inside, looked away. A lump had formed in her throat, but she didn't understand why. Aang had always felt like a brother to her. There was no reason for her to feel jealous of Rin— she had her chance, and Aang had thought she'd rejected him. She had! Right?

She sauntered away.

**A/N: I apologise for the fact that the name Rinzen sounds like Tinzen, one of Aang and Katara's sons, but I sort of wondered if maybe Aang knew a monk called Tinzen, who he would've named his son after originally, and then Rinzen also knew that monk perhaps, but then I thought what if Aang named his son after Rinzen, just changed the first letter… and then I realised that this is a completely different timeline anyway, and Tinzen doesn't exist in this timeline, whereas Rinzen doesn't exist in the canon timeline.**

**It's called a FanFic for a reason bruh**


	11. Chapter 11: Horizon

**Chapter 11: Horizon**

The next day was a rush of activity.

Two days after the battle against Ozai, and Aang still wasn't completely sure what had happened. He promised himself that he would ask Rin for the full explanation later, however for now, he had other things to think about.

Dressing up in his cleanest robes, a direct gift from the Air Nomads, the Avatar stood outside as the sun reached it's spot in the middle of the sky, over their heads, smiling as Zuko was crowned Fire Lord. He knew that the Firebending teenager could be entrusted with this enormous responsibility - even without the guidance of his uncle, who was working in a tea shop in Ba Sing Se, and the help of the rest of the gang.

Well, he would have some help.

Katara had decided to remain in the Fire Nation for a little longer, to help Zuko settle into his new position. She had managed to convince Aang that it was trust issues - she wasn't sure if Zuko could do this job properly, and she wanted to make sure that he wasn't going to start another war, etc. No matter how hard he argued, he couldn't budge her decision. The Water Tribe girl could be very stubborn when she wanted to be.

The ceremony was beautiful and harmonious, leaders and esteemed members of all four kingdoms gathered around to declare peace and share celebrations, wishing each other happiness, wealth and prosperity. Many promises of help and support were shared, as well as information and ideas.

Unfortunately, not everyone was enjoying the event.

Men like Admiral Zhao, General Fung and Captain Nam were not happy about the peace, nor pleased with the new Fire Lord. They knew Zuko might punish them if they threatened the peace, so they kept quiet, forming their ideas in the cover of darkness, far away from the royal palace.

It wasn't exactly a win for everyone, but at least the majority were healthy and joyful.

As the day turned into night, the Kingdom citizens returned to their homes via ships - both sea and air. The Air Nomads remained, their leave scheduled for the very next day. Aang and Rin were to leave with them.

He wasn't looking forward to saying goodbye to his friends - or rather, family - though.

Sokka and Toph were leaving that night. The Water Tribe warrior wanted to go back to the Southern Water Tribe, and industrialise it with his brilliant ideas, he wanted to expand and innovate and design. His father and two other seniors had been invited to the ceremony, and they were heading out tonight, Sokka leaving with them. Toph was going with some of the Earth Kingdom residents - she wanted to go back to her parents, see what they thought of her now, if they really cared and understood her... and if she didn't, she'd just escape again, and do what she'd always wanted to do— become an Earthbending, Metalbending, fighting teacher. It was the perfect job.

Aang remembered completing an elaborate handshake that he and Sokka had made up within the past two days, and then hugged him, before he sailed off. Aang watched him go as far as he could, until the boat disappeared over the horizon, becoming a tiny black dot and shrinking into oblivion. He remembered the lonely look on Katara's face as she watched him leave as well.

He remembered telling her that she could catch up with them on Appa if she wanted to.

That she could go too, with them.

With her brother.

He remembered Zuko, hearing this and studying Katara strangely, like he was stressed, like he wanted her to stay.

Yet most of all, he remembered Katara's fierce glare as she snapped, "Why would you care? You just want me gone! Now that you don't need me anymore, you just want me to disappear!"

Of course, nothing she said was true. Inside, they both knew that Aang would never stop needing Katara... but as someone to look up to, to keep him safe and to take care of him until he was old enough to take care of himself.

Katara ran off, with Zuko at her heel, determined to catch up with her and make her feel better. Aang felt something bitter twisting inside of him, until Rin put her hand on his shoulder comfortingly.

"It's okay," she rasped. "Katara didn't mean that. Zuko will make it better, and she'll—" she broke off coughing. "She'll be fine."

Toph's departure was just as upsetting, however not as dramatic. Zuko reappeared for that, tough and scowling as per usual.

Aang went to bed after that, shifting into a shallow, dreamless sleep.

"Rinzen," Aang caught the girl's attention as they ate a delicious Fire Nation breakfast, with Zuko, Katara and Suki the next day. "What... really happened when I was in the Avatar State?"

Everyone was astonished. Katara choked on her food, Zuko experienced a coughing fit, and Rin spat out all the water she was drinking all over the tapestry behind her. Zuko shot her an unimpressed look, and she winced in return, mouthing across the table that she was sorry and she would pay for a new one if she had any money at all.

"What do you mean, 'really'?" the Water Tribe girl questioned.

Aang met her ocean gaze. "Well, you never actually told me what I did to knock him out... did I just drop a rock on his head or something? How did I injure Rin?"

The other Airbender pursed her lips, the scar running from her bottom lip to her chin more prominent in the flickering topaz light coming from the various torches, placed at intervals between tapestries, which were mostly embedded with the Fire Nation symbol - a flame, around the windowless dining room.

Zuko focused on Rin. He seemed to have the same level of inquisitively as Aang did, just hadn't thought about it until now. He resettled in his seat, hoisting himself up into a more comfortable position.

"Um, okay, uh..." she stuttered, feeling all eyes on her, and shrinking away from the pressure. Foreboding golden sparks flashed in her ghostly white eyes.

"So... you went into the Avatar State. And you kind of showed off your powers a little bit... y'know, gathering water, wind, rock and fire... but the way you gathered these elements... well, you drew them all in like they were ropes or whips or something. Accidentally, I got in the way of a water whip, which lashed at my chest and knocked me over. I fell off of a rock platform, but managed to Airbend myself to safety just in time to see you attacking Ozai... not really hurting him, no, more like driving him away. Aang, you Airbended him into the wall, bent his fire against him... and so on.

"You were so close to killing him. Ozai was up against the rock, and you had a fireball in your hand, ready to end him. Uh... um... here comes the, uh, weird part..." Rin wheezed. Her voice had been completely exhausted, worn out and sore. She looked longingly, pleadingly at Katara, who sprang to action and Waterbended a trail of water out of her cup and onto the other girl's poor, ripped neck. Glowing steadily, the water soothed her angry red skin.

Aang leaned in closer, not wanting to miss a word of the tale.

Rin continued, "You see, then you just... collapsed. Ozai was standing there, shivering like a baby. He just... fainted out of fear. I think he wet himself too!" she laughed, but her laugh was cut off by a tiny yelp of pain, her hand flying to her neck again, where Katara was healing.

"That is weird," Zuko narrowed his eyes. "It's also a lie."

"What?" flying swiftly to his feet, Aang slammed his hands down on the table and sent a mixed look in Katara's general direction.

Rin shook her head firmly. "You're the one lying, Zuko. That's the truth!"

"No it's not. It doesn't even explain how you got hurt. You said that the water whip hit you in the chest, not your neck or mouth." he snarled.

Unable to raise her voice above a crackle, Rin instead lowered it, so that she sounded deep and dangerous. "I got these scars from the rocks when I fell. Like I said, not Aang's fault, not directly at least."

"Katara," Zuko turned to the Waterbender. "You know those injuries weren't caused by rocks."

"Why would Rin lie to us?" she replied, with a breath of hesitation.

Zuko felt betrayed, as he left the room with a flourish. He paused at the door, his expression cold and malicious and hurt. "You are all to leave today. This morning. Don't bother saying goodbye to me."

He stormed away.

A few minutes later, they came to their senses.

"Zuko, wait!" Katara called, dashing down the hall after him. Suki disappeared up to her room, probably to pack the very few things she'd brought on this trip - Suki was going back to Kyoshi Island. She said that her warriors needed her, and she wanted to be there with them, to teach them and train them.

Aang frowned, and turned on Rin. "It's the truth...?"

She gulped. "No."

The Avatar let out a sigh of disappointment.

"I didn't want to tell them. But I'll tell you," she choked out, between coughs.

He perked up a little, paying every little bit of attention she had to her. Rinzen lead him outside, into the palace gardens.

She opened her palm.

In it, something beautiful yet dangerous sprung up, the colour of warning, the colour of love, of blood, of the sun, of jewels and riches beyond compare, of injuries and war and threats, of passion and truth and bravery.

Fire.

**A/N: feedback? Again, sorry for such a short chapter.**


	12. Chapter 12: Power

**Chapter 12: Power**

"My father was also a Firebender." Rinzen explained, a few minutes after she closed her palm and extinguished the amber flame. Aang stares at her hand for a few more seconds, expectantly, then met her eyes.

"Was?"

"Was, is, I'm not sure. I haven't seen him in years." she leaned over the railing on the limestone pavilion, watching the pretty fish swim pointlessly around the pool below.

"So you're an Airbender and a Firebender?" he guessed.

She nodded. It was easier for her to make signals and imply things rather than to talk.

Instead of receiving the cold-hearted, defensive, betrayed, unhappy reaction she'd expected, Rin was surprised to find herself beside a grinning, cheerful kid.

"That's so awesome! But... then... did you give yourself those injuries?" Aang trailed off, his eyes falling to the fish and following the slow movements of its bright tail as it made its way around the shallow pond.

"I did. I also knocked Ozai out when you collapsed..." she mumbled.

"How?"

"I kinda... lassoed him with fire,"

"That's so cool! But so bad! You could've killed him! Or yourself!" Aang bounced up and down as if he were an excited puppy, wagging its tail.

Rin took a deep breath, her eyes travelling from the rippling, clear water, to the pebbles around the shore, the large oak tree that draped its leaves over the pond, the rails of the pavilion - sandy beige and so clean that they looked brand new, and found Aang, his eyes big and bright, shining with curiosity, excitement, as well as something else... something that Rinzen couldn't quite put her finger on. Perhaps inquisitiveness? Judgement? She wasn't sure.

Aang stared at her, waiting.

"It all, uh, exploded out of me? I'm not really sure what happened, but suddenly I was swinging round a lasso, and I felt like I was burning. I caught Ozai and threw him really hard against a rock, multiple times I think, until he went limp... I could still sense life in him, though... and then I, um, saw Appa and I got on, with you, then I passed out." she told him, tracing an intricate pattern on the wall of the pavilion with one, calloused finger.

After a moment of silence, Aang suggested she asked Zuko to teach her how to Firebend.

"But he's way too busy! And he hates me because he thought I was lying— which I kind of was, oh plus we're leaving today!" she protested, glumly.

"I'm sure he doesn't hate you... and he can't have that much to do... I mean, you could always stay here for a while, or get a tutor, or..." his voice faded away, uneven and uncertain.

Rin's face suddenly lit up. "Wait! What if you trained me?"

It was the perfect solution, except Aang wasn't exactly an experienced Firebender. Still, he believed that he could learn alongside Rin. He agreed.

After their long discussion, the pair joined the Air Nomads, waiting by the airships in preparation to leave.

"I'm going to miss you so much," Katara sighed, as she smothered Aang in a hug. "Good luck rebuilding the temples. You'll do great,"

He smiled, despite his sadness. "I'll miss you too— I already do,"

They said their goodbyes, parting as family. Zuko sauntered across the harbour to them, and shook hands formally with Aang, before allowing the corners of his mouth slide up warmly, his expression solemn yet hopeful.

"Goodbye Aang. Practise your Firebending." he instructed sternly, before Aang lowered into a formal Fire Nation bow, the dip returned by Zuko.

"I will," the Avatar promised.

Zuko shifted his gaze to Rin, who hung her head depressingly. "Good luck Rin. I'm sorry about earlier, I..."

She met his eyes in surprise, and smiled. "It's okay, I'm sorry too."

"But you didn't do anything."

"I— well, I didn't I guess, but I'm still sorry if I did..." she stuttered, her voice starting to waver and crack, as it did after she spoke too much.

Zuko sighed out his nose, then nodded his head respectively at the Airbender, before stepping back and letting Katara embrace her in a brisk hug.

"Take care of Aang for me," she ordered Rin, who swore she would.

They boarded the airship, walking steadily across a sloping plank of wood, rigid and worn and old, as the sun reached midpoint over their heads, slightly hidden by the passing fluffy white clouds. They were as white as Rin's pale eyes.

Slicing through the wind like a knife cutting through cake, the airship lifted off, and soared into the open air, leaving Katara and Zuko waving from the harbour.

Night was falling, but Aang didn't feel like he was going to fall asleep any time soon.

Momo flew alongside the ship, occasionally landing on the rail where Aang was stationed, leaning against it and watching the world go by.

Appa flew ahead. He had the immense job of pulling the airship. The reason for this: there were no available Firebenders who would agree to fly the ship to the ruins of an Air Temple, and travel on foot all the way back to the Fire Nation. Rin could've done the job, but her control wasn't powerful enough yet to handle such a responsibility - plus, she hadn't told anyone - apart from Aang - about her stunning ability.

The airship would remain with the Air Nomads, so that they could fly from place to place, travelling as a group and over the land and the sea. Appa couldn't carry all of them, and they had no other way of transport, so the airship was a gift. From Fire Lord Zuko himself.

Rin wandered across the deck of the ship to Aang, who had been watching a family of swallows rise and dip above and below the clouds like dolphins, beside their ship.

"Are you okay?" she checked, calmly.

Aang exhaled slowly. "Yeah. It's just weird being away from everyone... being so alone. I've been with Katara almost every day out of that iceberg."

"I know what that feels like."

**A/N: second book in the making... if you're interested? Read the final note, under the epilogue :| also super short chapter this time, sorry bout that.**


	13. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

A powerful typhoon tore through the four kingdoms, throwing a fierce tantrum, howling and screaming and crying and throwing.

The wind brought everything up into the air, from small home-grown crops to large fishing boats, nets full of wriggling, squirming fish still attached. It whistled piercingly in your ears and sliced painfully at your cheeks, as if it wanted to tear you apart, bit by bit.

Within this bewildering storm, many unfortunate people were rapidly unsettled and there was a distressed unrest. Every nation worked their hardest to help their residents once the horror of a typhoon was over.

The land heaved a sigh of relief when the sun shone once again. But not all that happened during that storm was forgotten.

No, the typhoon that shook the ground and tumbled through the jagged mountains, causing deep dwelling animals to stir after eternities of peace. A muffled roar that echoed through a canyon, followed by a vicious clap of deafening thunder.

The typhoon that rattled iron bars, forcing prisons to be evacuated, the cells collapsing, the walls crumbling, and the prisoners bolting for their tiny, insignificant lives. Escaping unnoticed by the terrified guards, disappearing into the haze of the horrifying, relentless storm.

The typhoon that unnerved powerful men, Astro fighters and experienced Firebenders, murderers, warriors, liars. That resulted in their fear, their belief that some just weren't fit for their job.

The typhoon that struck the Southern Pole with thousands of avalanches, some huge and some minuscule, piles of snow dragging themselves down the slippery mountain, wiping out anything in their path - such as a village, a home, an environment.

The typhoon that made two parents realise that the world truly could never ever be safe for their poor little girl, who had ran away on the delusion that her life would be free of responsibility, of care.

The typhoon that placed a group of esteemed warriors in an awkward position, forcing them to vote on a new leader, to pause their loyalty and wonder what came first, a cherished leader who was never there, or a prestigious, intimidating leader who was practically an outsider?

Their punishment for winning the war, for spreading peace. The downside event to the solution. A million more hazardous problems caused by a single disastrous work of nature.

Some have been faced, yet there are always more to come.

**FINAL NOTE**

_Thank you so much for reading this FanFic! As an author, it means everything to me that you at least wanted to read right to the end! I really hope you enjoyed this rather random story I wrote whenever I could, and I hope you were hooked and enjoyed the whole thing. I understand that there are still many things for me to build on, to improve and to change, but believe me, I'm working on it. Still, any helpful feedback or suggestions are appreciated! _

_In addition, I've began to write a book that follows this one; a sequel! Originally, I never intended this to become a series, but I realised that there's so much I can do with this, and I really love the ideas that I have in mind. _

_When or if I publish this book on FF, I'll make sure to update you guys here. Or, ya know, you can give me a follow… *wink wink*_

_The sequel hasn't been published yet ( haven't even come up with a title)._


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